One Leader
by zairaswift
Summary: Thrown away by a couple and their son, a little girl is adopted by one certain Vindice. The girl grows up around different people only for them to be taken away from her. From there on, everything starts to change and grow. Time passes and things go downhill but that isn't the end; it never is. Fem27. Story/Chapters based off the game Deemo's song titles.
1. Chapter 1 - Dream

_Edit 6__th__ May 2016: Just here to fix some things._

**Hello and this is the story.**

**Note: the chapters/ideas are inspired by the game Deemo.**

**Contains: adult!Acrobaleno, fem!27, some violence/blood, may contain swearing in the future.**

**Thank you to my cute bunny friend who helped me edit this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.**

… _Dream …_

This little girl is and was a girl with many secrets. But we don't know for sure _what_ secrets because secrets took time to grow or fade, just like how humans, us, took time to grow and age. Then we have begun, with one question. Why did they leave her behind?

It happened. Rather often, actually. Parents who abandoned their child because they could not afford to feed another child or they were not wanted in the world. In this case, it was because the younger of the two children was preferred over the elder. The five year old boy compared to the older twin girl was far more capable. He was smarter than her and could do many more 'outstanding' things. He was very charismatic and shined far brighter than his sister.

Heck, he probably never 'noticed' his sister, like how siblings interacted in their own way, until the two turned six. His parents saw him as a mischievous healthy boy, but he was pure evil in the eyes of the girl, although she could not bear the thought of disliking her brother. Even a six year old boy can create some of the biggest threats. The girl, noticed this, had a pure heart and sealed it away so that she would not be both mentally and emotionally broken. The boy however, tried to _break_ her. He directed their oblivious parents' attention and affection to him, and indirectly insulted her. Sometimes, he would do something on purpose and then leave his sister to blame for. For example, she had 'supposedly' thrown glass cups at her little brother.

The crying came first, then the blame. The boy probably smirked evilly on the inside but all the parents could see was an obviously innocent and crying boy where his sister had almost killed her younger brother. It was a sort of obsession, even _thrill _thathe found pleasure in. Putting the blame on someone else without being found out. Needless to say, the boy had managed to pull off minor wounds which were only old bruises caused by his own carelessness. Using them to his advantage, he whined about his 'stupid sister' and shed fat tears as he naturally put the blame on to his sister. He said that his sister had punched him and scratched him because she wanted to shut him up in order to blame the damage to the glassware on him.

She tried all she could to protest but to no avail, she failed in doing so with her weak heart and inability to speak against others. Forced, she was kicked to the ground, and was sprawled all over the floor. Upon contact, the glass shards cut into her pale skin, created small beads of blood roll off her fingers, arms, knees and legs. She was then ordered to clean up the mess, her blood that painted the kitchen floor; and started to gather all the pieces. After making significant progress picking up individual glass shards, she was tripped by her brother, and had to start all over again. He laughed, said something about how 'Dame' she was. Once again, she had angered the parents. They slapped her straight across the face, spitting out that she was absolutely useless. The father glared at her, commented something about why he had such an idiotic daughter and why she was nothing like his 'precious son.' He dragged her away to the next room, and delivered a few hard kicks, something which a 6 year old girl should not experience, nor should any other human being.

The day after was just as worse. An old man, identified as their grandfather, had visited while the girl had to stay in her room and her brother allowed to go play with the old man. As powerful as he was, the old man never noticed the other presence in the house who watched him as he played with the boy. The boy had done something, she couldn't see what, but he was crying. That crying just sounded so painful she pitied him. She just couldn't bring herself to hate the family who abused her so much. A flame erupted around the boy and she recognised it all too well. Her eyes widened in surprise.

The boy was praised in 'unlocking' that flame while the father and grandfather laughed and smiled at him with sparkles in the air, only to leave the girl wondering.

_I was able to do that… yet, they didn't even look at me…_

…

Was there hope left? Half beaten and bruised, she was in no state of running away. With no ability to move properly, and no money to use to get away and get bandaged up, there wasn't any hope in sight. She sighed, just as her bedroom door swung open. Her enraged parents were shouting at her about how it was all her fault about something incoherent to her, considering the raging headache which muted herself. Without protesting, she was dragged across town and literally thrown away. She had no idea how to get back. There wasn't a single time she remembered that she was able to go outside freely.

No one passed the area in which she was, despite it being broad daylight. She was left in front of a medium sized magnolia tree. She admired the astonishing beauty and before she got jealous of a tree. It stood out so much, with its gleaming snow white petals, as if untouched and ever so pure. It was silly and stupid to get angry at a tree; it was merely a piece of nature. She leaned her bruised back against the trunk, feeling the broad, rough bark through her dirty clothes. The soothing wind caressed her wounds, as she gently closed her brown, golden hued eyes, in hope that she would wake from such a horrible nightmare.

Quite some time had passed- when she slowly opened her eyes again, she was met by the orange hue of the sunset. The majestic ball of fire set, and was replaced by the pale moon. As it became darker and darker, she became more tired and scared. She couldn't survive like this. Without medical attention, she'd probably end up dying from infection, lack of water and food, hypothermia or something.

With that fear in place, she started to feel warm. The flame she had once called on, coursed through her veins, as if it was trying telling her something. She tried with her all her will to light that orange bright flame, and was rewarded with a small flame in her palm that flickered in the wind. She watched with curiosity as it grew bigger and brighter, until it was the size of her hand. The flame danced around her fingers and she smiled as it tickled her hand and warmed her entire body. There was something wrong but it did its job as it encased her with warmth that she should have felt from a loving family member. Most of the pain had already subsided.

"Are you sure this is okay boss?" A voice pierced the dark. She quickly extinguished the flame, fearing that the stranger had noticed her flame and yet hoping that the stranger would notice her and take her somewhere else but _back there. _

"Yes." The second voice was stern and powerful but it sounded like a mere disguise for the warmth that was hidden carefully.

She wondered who the two were and so, shifted around the tree, only to fail as she felt her body send jolts of pain. Something tickled the back of her hand. Looking down at her hand, all she could see in the darkness of the night and the feeble moonshine, was something that was brightly coloured, white or a pale pink. Thinking it was just a magnolia blossom, she paid no heed to it, only until she felt something bite into her hand. Yelping in pain, the people who had previously been talking in the distance jolted at the yelp and turned to the little girl who was sitting against the tree.

"A child?"

She was crying from the pain which had soon dulled but she could tell something was wrong with her body. The numbing sensation went from her hand to her entire body.

"That was the- Jager, take her back."

With a swift nod, Jager picked up the girl and stepped through a black portal.

"Now that pesky magnolia creature…" said the one remaining as he summoned chains out of nowhere and stabbed a white flower which the magnolia creature had mimicked. It oozed out pink goo but it no longer moved. He glanced at the tree. The tree was prone to more since it was still young. Give or take, the tree in ten more years should be poisonous creatures free. The night wind swept and destroyed anything that even close to looking like magnolia blossoms in the vicinity. Knowing that the tree would produce more, unnaturally, by morning the bandaged man clad in black and a top hat with feathers, left the scene to return to where his right hand man waited.

…

"She was bitten by the magnolia mimicker?" asked his right hand man.

"Yes," said the man grimly. A magnolia mimicker was a unique yet deadly creature able to mimic a magnolia blossom. The poison would spread across the person's body and once they were fully paralysed, they would become unconscious and then be devoured by hundreds, maybe thousands of more of the creatures, which first cover the body in its flower bodies and then begin their feast.

"But even if the paralysis wears off, that poison is going to stay there." The right hand man raised an eyebrow, or at least where the eye brow would be, and then stared at the frail body as it slept on the black leather couch.

"Are there any permanent… damages? The human body is far more complicated than ours…"

"It ranges from different people, but the younger the person is, the worse it is. That poison can severely shorten her life span. If she's kept in this frail state, she might not even live than two years," said the boss. He was not the type of person to care for other people but he had felt the presence of one of the purest sky flames he knew of from that little girl, and was worried that it would be tainted.

"There's also the possibility it might increase any symptoms that she already has. Allergies, asthma- things like those would eventually worsen and kill. The wounds that she had will take longer to heal as well."

"Is that why you decided to exterminate the creature by your hand?"

"Yes, Jager. Now, is that female Vindice on a mission?"

"She's still in the manor. Shall I call her, Bermuda?" asked Jager. His boss nodded as Jager stepped through a portal to quickly get to the female. Each Vindice member respected each other, however Bermuda was the leader and the one who wasn't as rotten as the others were- physically, he meant.

The little girl and the boss were left alone; Bermuda started to check for any improvements. Given that the child was about five or six, the paralysis would wear off after a few days. For a full grown adult of size 5"5 the effects would have worn them out in a few hours. The child's breathing was laboured, as if every rise and fall of her chest would cost her a year off her life.

"Bermuda, you called?" asked the female as she stepped into view. She scanned the room, and looked suspiciously at the resting human child. "Is this the reason?"

"Yes. As of today, you are to take care of the child until she is fit to return to her family," said Bermuda.

"Of course, Bermuda-sama. I will take utmost care with the young child." She said as he bowed. The female's name was Elma. An Italian name for 'protection.' Despite being the only female of the Vindice, she had kept up her name as being the protector of the Vindice. Constantly at the front lines, she worked the hardest and yet the least. She couldn't even begin to compare herself with the other Vindice. Because the Vindice had rarely gotten into any trouble, she was often at the manor, protecting it from any loose creatures that dared to infiltrate them. She also kept the prisoners in the Vendicare alive and imprisoned, while doing what many other females of the world do. Despite her bandaged appearance, she was just a 'dead' female body. Compared to the others, she was a bit more humanoid than Small Gia, although she was older than the half the members in the Vindice.

Since the little girl in front of her reminded her of how she ended up dying, which was not a good experience, she empathised with her. She begun to think of different reasons of why Bermuda-sama would keep her. She inspected the child's body, finding multiple wounds and then got to her hand where a strange mark was. Without any knowledge of how she ended up here, Elma decided to get on with it and do what she could.

Always getting hurt when she was younger, she often had to help herself to the range of bandages and cotton buds with antiseptic. Her hands worked wonders, one should say. The fragile girl seemed to have never fought back against whatever attackers she had. Either that or she was just really weak or was hurt badly enough not to be able to fight back. Picking up the girl, she went towards the infirmary where the other Vindice members would only go should they have an arm or a leg unattached to their rotting bodies.

Her previous element was sun, so she was also the healer of the Vindice. Laying the small body on the cloth bed, she took off her cape and some of the bandages on her hands in order to begin her work. The small glass shards that were stuck in her palms made her job harder and they would have to be immediately bandaged up or they'll just start to bleed. She took out a tweezer and plucked out the glass. She worked her way down the child's body, until the unexpected happened.

The child's eyelids fluttered open revealing large doe brown eyes which brimmed with sadness but was devoid of any emotion. There was a small spark of happiness but it was hidden away. Although the girl did not say anything, Elma could understand that she just needed to complete her job and it should be fine. After ten or so minutes, the girl spoke quietly.

"W-where am I?" she asked in Japanese. Though Elma originally spoke English and Italian, given her Vindice priorities, she could understand all other languages while being able to speak them.

"Hm?" replied Elma, purposely. She wanted to get the girl a tad shy. She couldn't help it! The girl was just so cute!

"Uh… um…"

"She is awake?" asked a voice.

"Yes Bermuda sama," said the female member as she kneeled, immediately getting rid of the expression of amusement. Bermuda simply told her to arise from her position and help the girl sit up.

"This is certainly unexpected…" said Bermuda quietly. Then shook his head. There was no need to get attached the child if she was already awake. If she was alive and not affected by the magnolia then they could simply set her free and return her to her home. If there were any after effects at all, they would just have to make sure that they tricked the people around her into thinking some tragedy had befallen her.

Knowing what the man was thinking, Elma tried intercepting but was only silenced. With a swift sweep of the long night cloak, the child was instantly asleep again and was taken through a portal back to where her presumed family lived.

When the child awoke she wasn't in the surprisingly dark, cool yet welcoming rooms of the Vindice manor, but in the bed of own home which was so ever so warm and scary. Drifting off to sleep, she felt as if that everything that happened to her up to that point was just all a dream.

…

**I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter! **

**If you don't know, the little girl is Tsuna. As far as I am aware, there are 8 'main' Vindice members, which are Small Gia, Big Pino, Jack, Alejandro, Jager, Bermuda and the two unnamed members in which one is female and the other male. So I just gave the female a name. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's right. **

**Oh man, how funny that Elma just means protection.**

**I hope you enjoyed. **

**Zaira Swift**

**P.S.**

**Bunny or Usagi is my editor says- qoq - Imagine it as a face**


	2. Chapter 2 - Reflection

_7__th__ May 2016 Edit: Here to fix some things and add some things._

**Thank you to everyone who favoured/followed/reviewed.**

**And, elDLIVE… The main character is a mix of Tsuna, Enma and Yamamoto, sort of. And the girl is exactly like Adelheid and Hibari and the Chief is like Dino. **

**Review Replies at the End of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

… _Reflection …_

The moment the girl woke up. She knew that she no longer belonged in that household. Although it felt like a dream, it was all reality. Those bandaged people with strange black cloaks with the atmosphere of the crisp night; they were all real.

She shuffled around, pain pricked her in various places but she was glad that the kind lady had helped bandage her up. Why did they put her back home? Did they not want her? Now that she thought about, not everyone would merely just pick up a kid off the street. She was lucky enough that they had helped her. Questions echoed in her head making her feel nauseous and anxious. Reaching out for the closest furniture, her hand paused on the wardrobe. The wardrobe door was basically a mirror and the longer she looked at her own reflection the more she seemed to dislike herself.

Every scratch and bruise visible told her the pain of reality. The bandages that wrapped around her wounds meant that _those_ people DID help her. The memories of her parents who abused her and her brother taunting her confirmed that she no longer belonged in the 'home.' She smiled weakly as she gathered her courage and started packing up her belongings.

She had few possessions, she only needed a change of clothes and the money, that she hidden away from her brother and saved up from her parents before they became the twisted beings they were. Stuffing them into a small shabby bag, she knew she couldn't slip downstairs and exit that way. Remembering the strange flames which had helped her the previous night, she called on it, hoping it would do something to help her get out of the house.

Two small flames ignited at the soles of her feet, making her hover in the air. Giggling quietly at the tickling sensation, she put her feet out the window and precariously stuck her legs in the air. Finding that it didn't pressurise her and the weight she carried, she slowly let go of the window sill as she was propelled in the air.

Standing up right, she smiled at her achievements as she floated down towards the ground. The moment she felt the cement ground, she broke into a run, ignored all the pain that came with it. The further she ran, the more she started to regret not doing so earlier. If she wasn't such a scaredy cat, then she would have tasted freedom long ago.

The public who regularly strolled the streets of Namimori eyed the little girl as she smiled brightly while walking past them briskly.

The girl who felt like she had no regrets in leaving her blood related family found herself in a secluded part of town. It was so quiet, that her thoughts started to ring louder and haunt her. Her walking pace slowed down significantly. An emotion of stress started to overwhelm her.

Where did she go wrong? Why did her parents hate her? She started to reflect on her journey. Was it her fault that they hated her? Perhaps the reason she was so dejected and her brother shone brighter than her in her parents' eyes was because she was too weak. If she was only stronger than what she was, then _maybe_ they'd accept her. She was dame, useless. Of course, parents would hate a useless child. Her brother was good with words and easily made friends. However, she was a loner and wasn't good at writing the Japanese characters. But that didn't means he could read them.

Something tugged on her heart. Was it sadness? Hatred? Naivety? It was just something that a child would find confusing and dismiss it. She dropped her bag and sat against the wall and hugged her knees with her arms. She started to reject the feeling of living freely. No matter what she did, she would forever feel the pain. And because of that pain and tiredness, she succumbed to the darkness that waited before her.

**...**

"Jager. Come here _now_." Bermuda ordered. No one defied him. This was an event emergency and immediate action.

"Yes?" replied Jager as he warped into the room.

"Who is in Japan?" Confused, Jager didn't know what his boss meant. After a quickly process of elimination, his boss had meant whether there were any Vindice members or guards in Japan.

"There are none. Some will be going there but not until a week or so later," Jager stated. He eyed his boss who started to pace about the room. He was troubled, after all. Perhaps that child from the previous day was getting on his nerves. No. That was impossible. For a Vindice member, no less, the leader of the Vindice to worry about a single human child was impossible.

"We are going there," said Bermuda breaking the silence. Before Jager could ask why, Bermuda answered, "there's a night flame."

If his jaw had not been sewn so tightly to his face, it would have literally dropped to the floor. Was it possible that one of the Vindice had slipped by his attention and gone to Japan without his knowing? Was it even possible for a human in Japan to possess night flames? The only reason the Vindice were able to hold the flame was because they were dead! Wait… did an Acrobaleno _die?! _No, that wasn't possible either, especially when one considered who the current Arcobaleno were. The Acrobaleno of this time were only recently named. After all, they were called the strongest seven for a reason. Jager's mind filled with theories, only to get cut off his train of thought by the impatient and anxious boss.

Bermuda had already fabricated a portal to the exact spot where the night flame was detected and quickly went through it with Jager who followed closely behind. And once again, the two of them were surprised at the child who sat sobbing to herself.

…

"Okaa-san, where's Dame-Tsuna?" asked the boy, his curiosity at its peak.

"Ara, Ieyasu-kun. That girl said that she doesn't like us anymore and left," said Nana in a scolding tone as if they were never to speak of Tsuna again. The mother cried fake tears, which was in fact from the onions that she diced to pieces.

"Oh." The boy frowned to himself when his mother turned around to continue the preparation for cooking. He was worried about what would become of her. She was going to die if she was by herself. She was weak and dame, so if she survived the streets of the outside, then a miracle would have fell upon her. But then if his sister left, why were so few of her belongings in her room gone? Did she really run away with that little? But if she had truly left, then she would go down stairs and then exit through the front door. So if she slipped away from them, why did they dismiss it as a mere fact that Tsuna disliked them? He shrugged it off and continued to explore his sister's room.

…

"It's the girl from yesterday," confirmed Bermuda. He was more afraid of the girl's sky flames to be tainted by the dark night flames rather than the fact a human possessed the black flames. He placed his hand on the girl's head, whose hair was surprisingly soft despite its fluffy look; the sky flames that ran through her veins thrived and from the looks of it, it did not seem like anything was out of place. It meant that the night flame was a separate flame to the sky flame, as if it wasn't supposed to be there yet it co-existed with the sky flame. It was far too dangerous for a human, a _child,_ to hold onto the flame without being able to use it properly.

He stood up, back straight. The Vindice leader thought carefully about his decisions. He was limited to four choices. One was to take her with them, second was to give her the information and then leave her, thirdly was to lock her in Vendicare and lastly was to kill her off. All of the choices would have severe consequences. Should they take her with them, it'll possibly make them too attached to her (it wasn't bad however there were some incidents that would trouble them), if they gave her the information, she was most likely to forget and get confused- she was a child after all. Besides that, it was breaking the _Omerta_. However, if they lock her in Vendicare, it'll hardly do any good because she would just remain 'asleep' forever and it wasn't like she committed a crime. It was basically immoral, in their words. To kill her off would probably be the last resort so it was immediately crossed out of his choices, for now. The little one had already stopped crying long ago and had just stared at the tall figures in front of her in wonder.

"Jager. I don't know if I'm making the right decision, but we're going to take her back to the manor," said Bermuda finally after many minutes of hard thinking. He pinched the bridge of his nose and reflected on his decision. Whether it was the 'right' choice or not, it was what he could do for now. A child and the lone streets were not a good mix.

"… Shall I prepare a room?" asked Jager while bowing- he respected Bermuda's decision. His boss simply nodded and then the right hand man warped away, back to the Vindice manor.

"A-am I going with y-you?" asked the little girl. Her eyes were pleading and sad, yet held no fear towards him. The powerful Vindice looked at her pityingly and nodded. This was nothing like his usual self, accepting a child and then taking them back. He could dismiss it as of the circumstances he faced, but there was some sort of connection that pulled him into the depths of the unknowing.

Suddenly, her face lighted up and she smiled brightly, which absolutely blew him away. One moment she was crying in pain and the next she was smiling like the bright sun- as if he had never seen it before. He grimaced; the Vindice leader sighed in defeat and created a portal. Gesturing the girl towards the portal, she understood him as she picked up her few belongings. She looked behind her precariously and then turned towards the portal- this was where her new life would begin, would it not? The two figures disappeared into the velvety black window, as if they left the entire world behind them.

The little girl was very interested in the inside the portal. She expected it just like a window where you go from one place and instantly to the next, but what she was in was like a pocket of space. It was dark and there was a slight chill like a cool breeze. Besides that, the portal wasn't as intimidating as it originally looked like from the outside. There were traces of strange flames. They gave off a suffocating feeling as she walked through the short tunnel. At the end of the tunnel there was something like a mirror except it didn't reflect your image but the place beyond it. Basically a glass window but… different in a sense. Experimentally, she touched it. It felt like a wall of still water, but it was not wet upon touch. She smiled once more, at the strange and oddly interesting portal, she went through the blanket of 'water' and was soon followed by the Vindice leader who glanced at the child's reactions in amusement.

Bermuda was surprised, no, baffled at the fact the girl had found everything so amazing, wonderful and beautiful, as if accepting everything as they were. _Just like the sky,_ he added. It was as if it was the first time she had properly looked at things, but not for their looks but their purposes and uses. _If only she looked at herself that way… _

They arrived at a long hallway which stretched across the manor and led to the stairs which joined onto other rooms and hallways. After walking a fair distance, they approached what Tsuna assumed was the main entrance to the place. Despite its lack of light, she easily adjusted to the darkness by squinting ever so often and found it eerily silent compared to their quiet footsteps of varying speeds.

Bermuda eyed the new emotions that appeared on the child's face and mused to himself. Tsuna pouted at the absence of company or any other bandaged people, but then again, she did notice how the bandaged man had a feel of loneliness. She walked aimlessly ahead and tripped over a loose floorboard. Before Bermuda was able to catch her, she stumbled forward, falling over. She stood back up while rubbing her head in embarrassment.

"Tsuna is Dame, isn't she?" she asked looking down. She was flustered by her own actions. Everything she did was just... clumsy. She started to expect something like, 'You useless girl!' as a reply.

"It's fine. Tsuna is Tsuna." The man stood back up after bending to the child's height. Since the child seemed to comprehend what he meant, she returned him with a thanks and a dazzling smile. The two continued to walk through the hallways of the Vindice manor. Shortly, they arrived in a room which Tsuna recognized as the room from the day she first came to the place.

"**I am calling everyone to the lounge room."**

To Tsuna's surprise, a bunch of other bandage clad people appeared. Of them, she recognised the female as the one who helped her the other day and another who was the one who accompanied the one beside her the other day.

"As of today, Tsuna will be joining us for special reasons. Treat her well. Any further questions will be discussed later," announced the leader.

Each person in the room nodded or gestured some sort of agreement. Others were sceptical and others were simply interested in the child in causing such a change in the household. The girl smiled widely making some of the Vindice shadow their faces to prevent the bright light from melting them into goo.

"For how long?" asked Alejandro, regaining his attention and once more, alert.

"Until I say no," answered Bermuda. The answer was vague but the Vindice understood him nonetheless. If things got out of hand, the girl was as good as gone.

"Is that room ready?" asked Bermuda turning to Jager who re-entered the room using a portal. The girl stared curiously at the portal which closed up when Jager fully stepped out.

"…" Bermuda raised an eyebrow at the lack of response and the awkward silence that ensued. Some of the other Vindice members had shifted, uncomfortable and used to the loud shouts of quarrels amongst them and the boss's absolute orders.

"There have been some _slight _difficulties."

"And what are these _difficulties _that you speak of, Jager?" Bermuda questioned calmly. He can be as patient as any man could be.

"It's _occupied._"

There were too many empty rooms in the mansion. How can this one room be occupied when there was such a wide selection of rooms? Well, he meant, why couldn't Jager just choose another room?

"Then _who_ is occupying it?"

"Rather than _who, _it's _what._" The Vindice leader waited for Jager to continue, but he said nothing, getting irritated, he shook his head and sighed.

"Take me there. Rather than being _told_ whatI'd rather be _shown._"

And so all the Vindice members followed Jager and Bermuda who made their way towards the one room that Jager had spoken of.

The instant the door flung open, the instant Bermuda glared at the Vindice who shuffled in their spots, Jager became indifferent to what was around him and was devoid of any emotion while little Tsuna was admiring the mass of…

"Paperwork… You hide it here?" A silence ensued.

"**Answer me.**"

"That's a lot of paper!" exclaimed Tsuna trying to read what was on a paper in front of her. It was lined with dust and when she looked towards one corner of the room, she swore it was all dust and webs.

"**I'll talk to you all later,**" said Bermuda in a cold voice, "And I would like to inspect some of the other rooms as well, but for now…" he looked back at the little girl, whose curiosity flickered across the hundreds of stacks of the so-called paperwork.

"Where is she going to sleep?" pondered the leader to himself. She was human and still a child. Sleep was necessary.

"Where else?" said the female Vindice, stepping in, "obviously, my room, since your rooms are all… you know, _bloody terrifying and creepy?_"

Alejandro glared at the female for the lack of respect for the Vindice boss. The little girl looked up at the female and the female smiled at her. If the child was going to stay, it meant she had something to do and she was _not _going to let the others prevent that, even if it costed part of the respect she had for Bermuda.

"You're gonna sleep in my room, okay?" She said. The girl nodded happily and then asked a question.

"How is a room bloody terrifying and creepy?" asked Tsuna, who slurred some of the words from lack of using 'long words.' She perfectly knew what they meant, however it's just that's she had never found an instance where she would have to say them verbally.

"Well, you don't want to know, but aren't you tired?" asked Elma – the female Vindice. And as if on cue, Tsuna yawned and blushed. The two females had already left and soon the horror began as the Vindice leader started to leak out his flames and aura.

"**So…**" he started, "**who's going to spill it?**"

...

**SHORT OMAKE-**

When Tsuna was young, she never really minded the paperwork, since she thought it was what kept Bermuda company because it was ALWAYS with him. But, my god, how wrong was she?

"Neh, why are you always with paperwork?" asked Tsuna, ask if paperwork was an actual person. Bermuda twitch and sighed as he stopped writing and signing the paperwork.

"Well, paperwork is something _very scary_. It's always there and it never decreases unless you put a lot of effort."

"Then I'll put a lot of effort so it'll all be gone and then you can play with me!" Tsuna exclaimed optimistically. And she regretted it as soon as she said she would help out.

…

**Review Replies-**

_Guest_\- Thank you! The Vindice will play a large part of the story and here's the next chapter!

_EndlessChains_\- I often enjoy sad scenes, because it makes people reflect about themselves and then find their own flaws and faults. I'm glad you liked it and here's the chapter.

_awesome (Guest_) – Holy shit, thanks for liking it! Trust me, it means a lot to me for people liking my stories, especially at this present time for me.

_Holiday Kisses_\- You shouldn't be jealous of me. I'm jealous of you able to read this anyways! Pretty much because I don't even read my own stuff or edit them.

**I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for reading!**

**Zaira Swift.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Evolution Era Part 1

_7__th__ May 2016: Here to fix/add things. _

**Thank you for reviewing/favouring/following! **

**A small note: If Tsuna speaks way too maturely for her age, it's because she's read a lot of books and broadsheet newspapers. It might be fixed to suit her age though…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.**

… _Evolution Era_** …**

Through all the joy she could feel, she was worried. She had just imposed on a household. She had no relation with them yet they had already took her in. She was afraid that she was going to be, once again, abandoned. The female Vindice, noticing the child fret, asked what was wrong.

"Is it okay for me to stay here?"

"Mhmm, yes." Oh man, she really wanted to squish those little Mochi cheeks.

"But… why?"

"Did Bermuda-san not tell you? You're special."

"But I'm not special, I'm dame-Tsuna."

"Oh? What makes you think that? Tsuna is Tsuna." Tsuna looked up at Elma. The elder female in turn noticed the child relax. Tsuna was reassured by her words.

"Bermuda-san also said that Tsuna is Tsuna."

Elma chuckled. "Well that just shows that Tsuna is special." Tsuna's eyes were unwavering, a slight touch of confusion, but it seemed that everything was made crystal clear.

"Neh, what their names?" asked Tsuna. She was currently residing in the female Vindice's room. It was far brighter than all the other Vindices and it wasn't tainted with blood from unfortunate victims. Each room was not exactly just 'one room' but an entire section. Some of the more loyal and elder Vindices had larger spaces, but it was usually empty and rarely did one go to sleep or 'rest' in their rooms, since it was not a daily function they required.

"Hm… well, I have an idea, you know? I'll introduce them all to you." The girl instantly smiled and eagerly waited for the great idea Elma had.

…

"Ugh, what the hell… Oi bit-"

And that cost an arm for _almost _swearing, literally. Nothing will taint the innocent angel girl that the female Vindice took under her wing.

"Oh, welcome Jack," said Elma sweetly. Tsuna couldn't exactly read the mood right, she was still very young, however something told her that it was normal for the elder female to react like that the other person. The male, on the other hand, had just entered the 'infirmary' and would have been sweating bullets , if it weren't for his loss of human senses and reactions.

"Uh…" Jack gulped. Despite his rather rash personality and constant swearing, he knew _never_ to make females mad and jealous. It was a big no-no for any person who lived around females, _especially _a Vindice one. Perhaps it was a temperamental thing, but Jack assumed it was just because Elma was female.

"Oh, poor thing, your arm is loose?" said the female putting a hand on her chin as if thinking of ways to make him suffer the consequences for almost swearing- I mean- thinking of ways to fix his arm.

There was silence but the female patted the seat in room while 'beckoning' him to sit. Her area of the mansion was compiled of sleeping quarters, the first aid, then a spare room supposedly for torturing and a storage room. The loose bandages on Jack's arm were ripped off without any care in the world and revealed the fleshy blotched limb.

Despite the strange treatment, Jack did his best to remain calm and focused on the curious human girl instead of a perishable treatment if it weren't for his inability to sense that pain. For a normal human, it would feel like your arm was cut off, then twisted anti-clockwise and then back, pulled out of its socket and finally, put back. It was pretty gruesome, and the kid wasn't really showing any signs of repulse.

"Is that how you put an arm back on the body?" the child asked innocently.

"N-" started Jack but was interrupted by the other Vindice.

"Well, for us, yes," and then she smiled… smiled very creepily…

"Oh. Then what if it was me?" Tsuna asked. Her small and open mind would accept all the information that is revealed to her. She was constantly curious and if there was a question on her mind, she was either bound to find out or she would force her way to find out (even out of subconscious such as her undeniable cuteness.) But then if she were to take in the incorrect information, she would naturally continue to question things.

"Let's not hope your arm doesn't come loose, then? If that happens then you could die," replied the female as she bound the bandages firmly on Jack's arm. He grunted as the bandages were done a bit too tight, restricting some movement.

At that moment, a voice resounded in everyone's minds.

"_**Someone is to be with the girl at all times or at least know where she is. You sort it out amongst yourselves. I have… unfinished work to do**_**,**" said Bermuda.

The girl, as if she had heard it, tilted her head and then faced Jack and beamed a large grin at him. He mentally noted to buy some sunglasses and not swear in the perimeter of the female and the child. Now that he looked at it, the female was like a mother figure. Then who would be the father figure? Even if it hurt his pride that he would most likely NOT be that father figure, it would have to be one of the others. Then he frowned pondering about why the child was affecting him that much. He shrugged off the multiple emotions reaching his head, only for the child to walk towards him.

"Jack-san, right? C-can you look after me for the day?" asked Tsuna. The large eyes would cry large crocodile tears should he refuse, so he relented to the child's request and picked her up and propped her onto his shoulder. Elma flickered her eyes and smirked.

"It's fine by me. Is it okay, bit-woman?" asked Jack to Elma. She glanced from the child and then to Jack and simply nodded. She left and walked back into her room leaving Jack and Tsuna to do whatever.

"So what the fu- what do you want to do?"

"Can we go outside?" The Vindice member raised his eyebrows. No one ever went outside of the manor unless it was for a mission or they need to go to a meeting (which has, next to, never happened) or pick up _stuff_ (such as mafia criminals and weaponry.)

"Uh… sure!" In response to his reply, the child laughed to herself. The two of them, luckily, had not passed any dead souls*kem* Vindice members who would laugh at Jack. Well, that was one second ago. The moment they turned a corner of the vast mansion, they came across Small Gia.

"HAHAHA! I can't believe it! Of all people, HA, Jack!" he blurted out and wiped some imaginary tears. "I gotta get one of those things that take still images… what was it… cameras. I'll make an order or something."

He flipped over the small stack of papers in his hand and scribbled something on them. Neither Tsuna nor Jack knew what he the papers were, however Jack had a slight suspicion of what they were, considering he still had his own little stack of them.

"You really do have a weak spot!" Small Gia was going to make this black mail. Like hell could he pass like nothing happened.

"Hey-"

"It's not nice to laugh at someone!" shouted out the girl on Jack's shoulders who was also frowning (pouting) in anger. "I'm sure you have a weak spot too!"

The Vindice members were both surprised at the sudden outburst when Jack broke the oncoming silence and howled with laughter.

"Can't- believe," he took a few breaths and wheezed, "got silence… by a CHILD!"

"I'm not a child!" argued Tsuna. "I'm-"

She was going to say that she was nearly 7, but then back in her 'family' they never cared about her birthday. A birthday was meant to celebrate one's new age. Despite that, her brother's birthday was the only one celebrated in her old home.

The two Vindice stared at the child but shook off the topic thinking that the child was probably thinking back to her poor life back where she had come from. Jack sighed. A child, no matter how young, would have displayed their emotions like it was a speech bubble on top of their head.

"We're going Tsuna," said Jack turning away and then left the dazed Small Gia in his own thoughts. Gia sniggered for the last time and then decided to take a different route to where he was originally going. He could consult Jager first, then he can give his paperwork to Bermuda.

…

"E-eh? This is outside?" asked Tsuna taking in the visuals of the dying garden.

"We don't care for such minor things. We have jobs that keep us busy," said Jack, the child nodded in reply. She was a bit saddened by the sight, but she had bountiful amounts of hope (and will power). She tugged on some of the dead grass and then her eyes widened. The Vindice, curious, put his head over hers to see what she was looking at.

Despite the black outwards appearance, at the base of the blade of grass was the hint of green, which meant it was still alive. He never really thought that the grass had that much in it to remain alive.

"But even if it has died this much, it still has some life and part of it," said the girl and rolled up her imaginary sleeves (she's wearing a shirt and shorts.) "Then let's get started!"

"Started on what?" The girl looked back at him as if she just said the obvious and he didn't register anything.

"Gardening! I read a lot about it in a magazine."

The garden wasn't particularly large but it was enough to have a picnic of 8 grown adults and a child. It was mainly hidden and had a wall which separated it from the outside world. There was a tree on the side, which provided shade, but day time was dark or grey where the Vindice lived.

From the inside of the mansion, a certain boss watched as his subordinate trimmed the grass with a simple swipe of his chains, revealing a carpet of brownish green grass. The small girl squealed in delight as she spotted the wilted flowers that grew on the vines and crawled up the deciduous tree. Bermuda sighed and then relentlessly looked back at the table after turning his chair around. He started a long process of organising the papers on his desk, on the ground around him and then turning around the table so it would face the garden, taking the chair with it.

When he resettled, he sighed once again and then returned to his paperwork, entertained at the noises coming from the once dead garden and the display laid out through window. He didn't mind if it just brightened up _just a little bit. _

…

"Give the child to me…" said the man. The woman stared at him for a good long time then shut (slammed) the door in his face.

"Who was that?" asked Tsuna, who was rubbing her eyes after waking up.

"Oh, did I wake you up?" said Elma as she returned to the room and urging herself not to hug the living day lights out of the child. "That was a very annoying person. So how did the plan go with Jack?"

"Um… you said that I should do what I wanted to do… I don't know how it's good for the others though," replied Tsuna. Amused, the female only thought of the recent encounter with Jack who seemed to be in a very happy mood and was evening humming a tune 'Spring' most likely because he got it from Tsuna. His humming was unbearable though, so she made sure that when he asked for some more help about his voice, she would make sure he wouldn't speak or sing for an entire week. He was always shouting at everyone else, so he ended up being one of her frequent visitors.

"So who do you want to be with today?" asked Elma.

"Um… L-Lotterio." (**1**)

"Ah... you know that was him just then. You might just catch him!" said the woman, a bit irritated. Lotterio was just a bit… weird. She couldn't really explain it but either way, he was the type to never be able to read the atmosphere. The child instantly jumped out of bed and rushed out into the hallway to find the said Lotterio. She expected him to have already portal-ed away but he was sulking in a corner, a very dark corner, growing mushrooms.

"Uh, Lotterio-san…" said the girl, tapping on his shoulder. The man turned around and got out of his depressed state.

"Do you want to be with me for the whole day?" he asked, slightly delighted.

"No." That one word sort of struck him hard. The outright refusal was pretty harsh. He was also the type of person who usually never got along with kids, despite liking them.

"I want to eat breakfast with you though!" she exclaimed happily. The man instantly brightened up and then led the child to the kitchen where they had recently started filling with food for the child's sake.

"What do you want to eat?" the man asked, excited.

"Anything you want," said the child. She didn't exactly know if the Vindice did eat since they were always busy or she rarely saw them during their leisure time.

"O-oh…" Because the Vindice didn't exactly any sense of taste, it was hard for them to cook, but they didn't require the necessity to eat or drink, however, it always nice to have a very tasteful meal once in a while.

"Then, I'll just do something simple…" He pulled out eggs and bacon, the pan already on the heated stove. It happened so fast that Tsuna barely kept on her toes in order to see everything happen. She was keen on being able to cook after being inspired after all the cook and recipe books she read. She noted all the mouth-watering food and the fact that her 'mother' had rarely ever cooked something especially for her.

She jumped at the sound of the toaster popping. The Vindice member took out two plates, serving the food.

"T-thank you, Lotterio!" said the girl gratefully, as she dug into the food, trying not to spill anything. It was the best breakfast she had ever had, and she was sure that _the_ secret ingredient, 'love' was poured into the food to make the simple food taste extremely satisfying.

The Vindice, on the other hand, was extremely glad and relieved that the taste was up to the girl's standards, or at least that it was even edible to her. He started pouring large amounts of salt and pepper onto his food so he could at least taste some of the flavours. The girl didn't seem to mind the alarming amount of salt and pepper. She always got those feelings when and what she can or could not question. She knew how to keep her peace of mind, but sometimes things nagged her a bit too much.

"Lotterio-san, why are you lonely?" she asked as she finished the last bite. The man simply shrunk back to the dark corner of the room.

The girl knew that she had upset him, so she did the best thing she could do. She looked around and found what she knew was there from the previous day. A bit of exploring wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Here," she said, as she passed the man a black object. It was a torch. "This way it won't be as dark here."

She found it surprisingly peaceful in the corner and it wasn't that lonely since Lotterio was there. He stared at the girl, dumbfounded, and a small smile graced his face.

"But you really should stop being in corners… no one's going to be in corners!" she said arms crossed in front of her chest. "Anyways, I'll help you cook so you won't be lonely!"

The man simply smiled and then went to his thoughts. Would the Vindice be lonely without the child? He knew how much had happened and how the child impacted the Vindice members.

"I want to go to Alejandro now though…"

Well, either way, it seemed like he would be lonely for then.

…

**Omake- Gardening:**

After spending that one time with Tsuna in the garden, it led him to frequently visit and check-up on the garden. Soon enough, when it wasn't winter, the garden was green and bloomed with flowers and a healthy tree. It gave colour to the mansion and it also gave Bermuda a source of entertainment while he was very busy signing away at the paperwork that never seemed to end.

One day, Bermuda had finally decided to join the two of them, only to be interrupted by his very trusted right hand man.

"Bermuda, the child… said that she would pick the next mission and…" he said, "It is a strange mission."

The boss leaned on his desk, tired, but overall intrigued, waited for Jager to put the mission sheet in on the table.

He turned the paper around and read the contents of the mission and instantly said that he would do it.

…

"Eh, this is what a rose looks like?" asked Tsuna looking at the picture. Courtesies to Small Gia who got the camera and lent it to Bermuda.

"Yes," said Bermuda.

"It's like the roses from Alice in Wonderland. The paint is dripping off from the flower," said Tsuna; she giggled.

"It's very pretty though, isn't it?" Bermuda asked. The child smiled and nodded happily, but she wished that Bermuda would have brought a flower back with him.

…

"You may want to order another one."

"What? Order another camera? Why?" asked Small Gia. Jager sighed. He threw the camera at Gia who frowned and flicked through the pictures that were taken on the camera. It was already full. The first half of the images were of the limbs and bodies strewn around the place and the rest were weltered (**2)** flowers, coated in a sickly red. Gia remained silent. There was definitely no way he could delete them all as it would take forever and the camera didn't have a chip, which resulted him to smashing the camera. He hoping that Tsuna would never come across the remains of smashed glass and metal. He then threw it away and went to Bermuda and demanded for a new camera.

…

**1 – Lotterio is a name I gave to the other nameless Vindice (Elma being the other one). He's a real canon character and as there's nothing about him, he is now called Lotterio. **

**2 – Weltered: soaked in blood. I think it's pretty cute and funny with those flowers.**

**For the next few chapters, they will be Evolution Era, the change of Tsuna and how she gets accustomed to the Vindice. This'll include time spent with all the Vindice members in some sort of way and then the start of her real adventure/journey.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading. **

**Zaira Swift.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Evolution Era Part 2

**Woah. What…1500 views… 10 reviews… 48 favourites and 71 follows! HOLY CRAP! XD I can't explain how happy I am! Thank you so much! **

**If you didn't know, a lot of my stories have been put on HIATUS, some discontinued, some deleted, but this is just the only way I can organise my stories. I'll be focusing on some stories, including this one.**

**Do you like the omakes? Are there any stories that you want me to update? Do you have any questions? Just tell me via PM.**

**WARNING: adult Acrobaleno, fem!27, some violence/blood, may contain swearing and if you don't like, DON'T READ.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

"Neh, Alejandro-san, where do these dolls come from?" asked Tsuna. She stared at the beautifully made humanoid doll. She reached out to touch it, but Alejandro quickly interfered. Her eyes started to water in worry, thinking that she had just done something wrong. The Vindice looked away, unable to face the girl. He took a breath and spoke.

"These are handmade dolls and they're still drying from the paint," he said. The girl understood and instantly brightened up now knowing that it was because the doll's paint would have been ruined if she touched it.

"Then what's its name?" she asked.

"… His name is Gingerbread," he replied.

"That's really sweet! Then is Gingerbread very sweet?" asked Tsuna. The Vindice hadn't exactly thought of having his doll of having its own emotions. It would be a good test but because his flames weren't exactly the happiest of them all, the doll would end up having dark thoughts or plot revenge on everyone around it. He usually used Gingerbread as a puppet and there were countless amounts of the same doll. All the other had broken from the pressure of the night flames, so it was near impossible to do so.

"I don't know." The little girl pouted at his reply, but when Alejandro had to attend a meeting amongst the Vindice members (otherwise a mission for the day), she decided to look for things to do.

She paced around the cool room, made to dry dolls that Alejandro made quickly and to make sure none of the dolls' materials would wither away.

She resorted to waiting for the doll to dry. The room was underground so she couldn't look out the window at the sky, her favourite thing to look at besides the garden. As the minutes stretched in an hour, she sighed and made up her mind. Something about Gingerbread kept bugging her. She was sure that it was dry since the shine of wet paint had disappeared into the sheen of dry paint. To be sure she that Gingerbread was dry, she used the brush that Alejandro used to paint Gingerbread.

Grinning, she took Gingerbread's hands after making sure he was dry. Giggling to herself, she played with the doll, always smiling to herself.

"You know, Gingerbread, I wish you can be a real person!" she said out loud. The puppet doll was leaned against the door. There was a glowing light coming from her palm just as she finished speaking. Something told her that she should give it to the doll. A bit confused, she obeyed that 'something' and reached her hand out in which the glowing orb of light floated towards the puppet, right where the heart would be. The light began to glow brighter, so she shielded her eyes with her hands.

After the light subsided, she cracked an eye open and brought her hands to her side to inspect the differences of Gingerbread. It seemed more realistic, the joints were no longer there, the eyes weren't as glassy and there seemed to be something similar to the sounds of breathing except it was so quiet that a normal person could not hear it.

"Boo!"

"HIE!"

Upon hearing the shriek from the girl, Alejandro who had just returned ran to his room only to stop at the entrance and guffaw at what happened.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Tsuna in shock and happiness.

"Did you get scared? Hehe~" Gingerbread said.

"U-uh… sort of?" Tsuna giggled while Gingerbread smiled brightly, just like the sun.

"Don't worry, Tsuna-chan! I, Gingerbread the Magician, will show you a magic trick!" he exclaimed as he stood up properly on his own two legs. Alejandro, who was overviewing everything, was beyond surprised. Who knew the girl had the ability to do something like that? He stayed back, knowing that it was not the right time to interfere.

"Can I have a countdown?" asked Gingerbread, twirling around.

"3… 2… 1…!" said Tsuna, eagerly waiting for his performance and then was struck with horror. Gingerbread had crumbled to pieces like a real doll.

"Gingerbread? Why-"

"Boo!" The girl shrieked once again, and there, behind her, was Gingerbread, completely fine.

Alejandro, still spying, frowned. The doll had the ability of the sun's flames of regeneration. How the doll was able to do so- Wait. It _was _a doll, a container of some sorts. Did the girl even possess sun flames? He would have to inquire about it and report it to Bermuda later, but for now, he wanted to enjoy the show that played right in front of him.

"How did you do that?" asked Tsuna, very curious.

"Don't you know that magicians _never _tell their secrets?" Gingerbread smirked as Tsuna pouted and then soon noticed the presence of another person. "Eh, it seems like someone is here!"

Just as Alejandro was about to portal away, a large spider was placed onto his face, its beady eyes staring right into his. From the element of surprise, he yelped falling into the door, desperately trying to pry the spider off his face. With the snap of his fingers, Gingerbread's spider disappeared into sun flames.

"Wow, is that another magic trick?" she asked, not really worrying about the Vindice who lay on the floor huffing and puffing.

"Yep~ oh, it's master! Welcome back!" said Gingerbread referring to Alejandro.

"Gingerbread…" he growled.

"Sorry master, didn't know that you were the person~ So Tsuna, what do you want to do now?" asked Gingerbread, "I can play with you now!"

"Eh… Well, since Alejandro-san has come back, we can all play together!" she beamed.

Alejandro felt like it was going to be a long day. And with the addition of Gingerbread in the Vindice mansion, there was more trouble to clean up (and paperwork), there was another person to feed (and paperwork), there was another person to help when injured in some way despite being a doll (and paperwork) and there was more paperwork (and did I mention that there was also more paperwork?)

…

"Pipupipipu."

"Um… Pino-san, will you play with me?" asked Tsuna.

"Pipi." Understanding him, she tugged on his large bulky arm and pulled him to a room.

"Pipupipi… Pipupupi."

"S-sorry, Pino-san, but I can't understand you that well. I just get this sort of feeling of what you mean, but if it's not about yourself, I can't understand." She saddened a bit but then instantly brightened up. "That's why, I'm going to teach you to read and write!"

There was silence.

"Don't worry! It'll be fine!"

Yeah, when a, now, seven year old girl teaches a hundred plus year old Vindice who has only ever thought about revenge and hatred on a certain person, how to write and read a language they can understand, is _very _okay. Okay, not that okay.

"Pipupipipupipi!" he exclaimed.

"Well, I know you can understand Italian and Japanese… and everything else, but I don't feel like the others can fully understand you. What if you had to speak with someone outside of here?"

Big Pino didn't say anything.

"Exactly, so I'm going to teach you! After a while, I could understand Italian and I'm still learning how to write it but, you can learn with me!" she said. The room they were in, was in fact the room where Tsuna received lessons from the female Vindice, Elma, to learn the languages she knew and along with the education standards of a child. Well the education standards of a genius child.

She received a grunt of agreement and so the lessons began.

…

"Tsu-" started Elma as she walked into the room, to see _two _people instead of one.

"Pino? Why are you here?" asked the female only to stare at the child. _Ah… it's one of the girl's whims. Just like what happened to Jack, Lotterio, Bermuda, Alejandro and me… it's either gonna be Jager or Small Gia next._

"So do you want to review what we did last time?" asked the Vindice. The little girl nodded and encouraged the other Vindice member to follow on. Elma soon found it that it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, until something else happened.

"Um… Pino can you get the oil?" asked Lotterio who was preparing a dish of some kind. Instead of being replied with "Pi" or "Pu," there was a sign _as well _as the "Pipi" of agreement. On the sign, was a hand written 'Yes.'

Surprised at this sudden development, Lotterio found it quite easier to understand Pino especially when asking him of his opinion.

"So how did you get this sign thing?" asked Lotterio.

[Tsuna.] He wrote. [And Elizabeth.] (**1**)

"Elizabeth? Who's that?"

[I don't know.]

…

"Thank you for the food!" said Tsuna as she dug into her dinner. The flavour was spot on. "Pino did you help make the food?"

[Sort of.] She smiled, her assumption correct.

"Thank you, Pino, thank you Lotterio!"

…

**Omake- The Heart to Heart Talk-**

"Gingerbread."

"Yes master?" replied Gingerbread. Tsuna had just left.

"What do you think?"

"Of what? Your reaction to me? To the spider? Or to Tsuna-chan?" asked Gingerbread mischievously. The Vindice member, groaned and did his best to ignore his own creation's antics.

"Of _this. _How did you feel when Tsuna made you become alive?" asked Alejandro.

"Huh. Since you asked, I didn't feel anything really… but I guess there was one thing." He seemed to ponder in deep thought and a light bulb appeared above his head when he figured it out.

"Happiness!" he said, "That's the word!"

"Happiness?"

"And sadness too."

"Sadness? How?"

"Well… I thought it was fantastic and all being able to move about freely by my own, but… it's also sad that I probably won't be able to be a real person. I'm a doll after all," said Gingerbread, "and being made by you single handily, I probably have some traits that rubbed off on me."

"Really then? You think yourself as a doll?" Gingerbread nodded in reply.

"Okay, think about it this way," suggested Alejandro, being as kind as possible. "What does Tsuna think of you?"

"I dunno really. A friend, I suppose?"

"Exactly. And friends accept each other. So she accepted you as a doll, but I think she accepted you as something with life."

"How is that possible?" Alejandro quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, we're Vindice and she's a human, now is that possible?"

"… Okay, you have a point there," replied Gingerbread, "but you know, I can't think of it that way… I just want her to be happy with herself and perhaps continue being her friend."

"Exactly. All you have to do is just believe in yourself. If you don't think yourself as a _real living friend _to Tsuna you may as well go back to being the doll you once was."

Surprised at the sudden change of attitude of his master, Gingerbread only nodded. The Vindice sighed and left the Gingerbread with his own thoughts.

_Believe in myself, huh?_

...

**1 – So do you know where this Elizabeth comes from? Hehe, gosh it's been a while since I saw that anime.**

**Sorry, it's a bit shorter than usual, but the next chapter will wrap up the Vindice and Tsuna times together and start some of the plot, HOPEFULLY!**

**Thank you for reading, and it'll be awesome if you review/favour/follow! **

**Zaira Swift.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Evolution Era Part END

**Thank you all for favouring/reviewing/following! I have a bundle of ideas I want to get down, but there'll be so many new stories! OTL… I'll go finish this chapter first…**

**This chapter is gonna be a bit different. Instead of having individual Vindice members, I'm having them mixed together. I can get that over and then I can start the real plot. This chapter was supposed to focus on Small Gia and Jager, but I ended up doing everyone but having Gia and Jager more bits.**

**This chapter is going to be a bit longer so I can get the plot up and going.**

**WARNING: adult Acrobaleno, fem!27, some violence/blood, may contain swearing and if you don't like, DON'T READ.**

**Are there any questions you have? Any stories you want me to update? Do you want me to continue putting the OMAKES after each chapter? Tell via PM or review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

"What are you making, Gia-san?" asked Tsuna, her eyes, wandering about the room and staring attentively at Small Gia's craftwork.

"It's a weapon."

"Can you make one for me?" asked Tsuna.

Small Gia froze. Make a weapon for a kid?

"Do you think I'm going to-" he turned towards Tsuna, knowing that his answer was a no, but only to be met by the watering eyes of the kid. _This isn't good for my heart, even if I don't have one. _He turned back, sweating. If looks could kill, all the Vindice members would have died long ago.

"_So can _you make one for me?" Tsuna questioned. If there were any other sadists out there, this kid would make a perfect one- a dangerous one too. Small Gia swore, the kid got it from the woman. It wasn't uncommon for women to have a sadistic side, but for a kid… that's _terrifying. _Considering that the kid was 7, and that he was god who knows how old, that's _quite _the gap and that the kid was making him obey to her requests… that's worse.

"Ye-yeah… I'll make you one. Do you have something in mind?" replied Gia, trying to shake off the feeling of repulse.

"Thank you!" she beamed, giving another dazzling smile.

_I'll have to get used to this… _

…

Jager was worried. Not because he was worried for the Vindice members being exposed to the strange child (which can already make some of the Vindice lose their consciousness) but because of his boss, Bermuda. Now, this would have been seen as normal to the others, knowing how loyal he is to the Vindice leader, but this time, it's different. His boss had something on his mind, he didn't know what it was.

"You're worrying too much," said the female Vindice. "He's Bermuda after all, and he's still got all those paperwork from… that incident before."

"Yes… but… there's still that one feeling that I am missing something important."

"It's possible that it's because of Tsuna-chan. He was the one who took her in the first place," said Elma as she threw away the old bandages.

"Have you realised something?" Elma asked, "that child has become something to all of us. Don't deny it. I doubt that child will ever leave, but one day she will and go on to the outside world. She can't always be with us forever. She is mortal, after all…"

"Well, of course. Some of the others may not go into thought _that far, _but we should all be aware of that…" replied Jager.

There was a quiet knock on the door.

"Elma-san, are you there?" asked Tsuna, who opened the door. She then saw Jager and greeted him.

"What's wrong dear?"

"He's sulking."

Since when does a child know what 'sulking' means? And a Vindice member?

"Who is?"

"Father."

The two Vindice members just went, 'What the fuck.'

…

"Aw~ Tsuna-chan, you don't always have to be with me. Master still has me do some things you know," says Gingerbread.

"I know, but I was lonely since father was sulking."

The constant smile on Gingerbread's face dropped.

"What." There was silence. "Wait, what do you mean, by _father?_"

"Oh right… I didn't tell anyone yet. Bermuda-san is like a father."

"Eh?"

"Well… the _other man, _who _was _my father, is sort of gone from me, but when Elma-san told me about what a father actually is like, I felt like Bermuda is like a father."

_Yeah, more like a great, great (and many more great) grandfather, if you include his age… _thought Gingerbread.

"Then why is he sulking?" asked Gingerbread.

"I don't know. That's why I'm going to ask the mother."

"… And who is the mother?"

"Elma. Who else? She's the only female beside me."

"Really, Tsuna-chan, you might be too smart and _you_ for your own good."

"Really? I think it's about right thought. But the mother and father don't get along that well," said Tsuna, pouting cutely.

"Hm… Well, I can't exactly help you with that~"

"That's true."

_You don't need to say it so blatantly, _thought Gingerbread.

"I'm gonna go ask then. Ciao!"

…

"**Bermuda**."

"Yes, Jager?" said Bermuda, lifting his head from the paperwork and then seeing the female, "yes, Elma?"

"What is this about _father and sulking?_" asked Elma.

"What are you talking about?"

"Boss, is the problem-" the two started.

"_That you want some romantic lover and a family…" _said both the Vindice members turning away from him in some sort of depressing state. It _had _been a long time. And it's not like there's gonna be someone right for him.

"WHAT?!"

"Tsuna-chan told us that you were the father and that you were sulking, so what's the problem?"

"I'm not some sort of father, what so ever, nor do I know what you mean that I was sulking, but the problem is about some information I found," said Bermuda, denying everything the two said.

"Then what is it?" asked Elma.

"That girl… do you know when her birthday is?" he asked, the two. The two were a bit suspicious of the pause, as if he was supposed to say something else.

"When is it?"

"14th October."

"That's tomorrow, isn't it…" said Jager.

"And we _did _miss it last year didn't we?" continued Elma.

"What are we supposed to do?"

Silence.

…

"ARGH, what do you want?" shouted Small Gia as he opened the door only to soon regret it. It was Bermuda who just knocked at the door. "Uh…"

"Small Gia, are you doing anything? Any missions tomorrow?"

"Um… no?"

"Good. Now make something good. It's Tsuna's birthday tomorrow. I will trust you with that. Thank you, bye."

Did his boss just thank him? He returned to his thoughts. He was already making something for the kid. Should he just use that as a gift, or should he make a second thing? He shouted in frustration. What on earth can he make for the girl?

He looked at the old grandfather clock that was on one side of the room, tick-tocking away.

_That's it!_

He jotted down the idea and started planning out the design. It would take a while, but first, he needed get the child.

...

"Pipupupupipupu." Big Pino had just been contacted by Jager about Tsuna's birthday. The girl had done quite a lot for him, and he figured that he probably had to make something useful to her. He looked outside, where the skies were getting darker than they already were. The slight pitter-pattering alerted him that it was going to rain.

That's right… he's going to make an umbrella. (**Sorry, I had to have Gintama for Pino.**)

The umbrella would be useful and nice looking in its own way. He picked up a bunch of blank signs and stashed it behind his back while setting off to find materials.

...

Lotterio was going to make the cake. He wasn't sure what design it was going to be. A rainbow? It was the best he thought. But the Vindice would be sceptical about that. So he ended up making the inside the rainbow, the outside chocolate and strawberry. It was going to be worth quite the load of time, and he wanted to make sure that Tsuna would like it along with the other Vindice members. He was told by Elma, shortly before and the woman added a few ideas, just in case.

He smiled to himself and then sighed. He would make it that night so it can be as fresh as possible. After all, when he cooks, no mistakes can be made.

...

When Jack was busy tending to the garden, he was aware of the entire ruckus from inside the manor.

"Her birthday, eh?"

He didn't seem that concerned. He often thought about this day where people celebrate the anniversary of their birth. He didn't really pay mind to it, since the girl didn't mind, but after thinking for a while, it didn't seem like she would have ever been able to celebrate it because of her family problems.

Anyways, she likes roses and the colour orange. No problem.

...

"Wah~ it's so busy today~" exclaimed Gingerbread, who was still waiting for Tsuna. He was suddenly approached by Jager about the details.

He didn't really know what a birthday was so he asked his master.

"A birthday is the celebration of one's birth."

"And Tsuna-chan's is special right? That's why we're all like this and why I'm here," said Gingerbread. His master simply sighed and nodded.

"Then are we going to make one together or make something separate?" asked Gingerbread.

"Thought of anything? You've spent a lot of time with her," said Alejandro, thinking about what the experience would be like.

"Yes, she said she liked lions, and my magician outfit," said Gingerbread, smirking at their closeness.

"Then we'll make those. Orange ones I presume?"

Gingerbread simply nodded.

"Ah, Gingerbread, I knew you were here~" said Tsuna as she burst into the room. He giggled.

"You always know where everyone is. How do you do that?"

"Eh? I can't tell you. It's a magician's secret!" said Tsuna. Gingerbread pouted and then smiled.

"Why don't we go find something to eat?" She nodded and smiled.

...

"So what are you going to make?" asked Elma to Small Gia.

"Well, I've got the idea."

"Ho? Then that's good. Wait… aren't those-" she peered over the male's shoulder looking at the designs. The weapons that he was making were in the shape of the hands of a clock, much like the grandfather clock there. They were pitch black, and easy to use for night flames. But since the girl also had sky flames, he was going to make one orange with a black hilt, the other black with an orange hilt. It was stylish and could easily be hidden.

"Wow, you really do know how to think carefully, despite your rash and sadistic attitude," said Elma.

"Oh? Then what are you gonna make? Girly stuff?" asked Small Gia, irritated at the female's comment.

"_Actually, _you're right. I'm going to make _girly stuff, _otherwise known as _clothes,_" she replied, "they _are essentials, _after all."

And so, the inside bet of who would give the best gift started.

...

"Bermuda-san, is there something you have in mind?" asked Jager.

"Yes. I presume it will be the best of them all."

"I'm sure the others will compete in who would give the best gift, one way or the other."

"Then what are you going to give?" asked Bermuda to his right hand man.

"I'm going to give her some technology of this day," he said, "a laptop."

"Hm. That's useful. I will supply some phones as well, for us all to use, of course."

"Is there anything you require?"

"Yes, find some orange feathers, will you?" requested Bermuda.

...

"Um… something feels off," said Tsuna out loud. She barely saw anyone outside their rooms or where they usually would be. Something must have happened. Gingerbread came every now and then, but somehow the following day, the feeling was constantly nagging her.

She opened the door to the kitchen to be awaited by a feast for breakfast. Lotterio was less talkative but at least he didn't go into the corners of the room that day.

By the time it was afternoon, she started to suspect that they were going to do something really naughty. She was a child after all, also with an extremely vivid imagination.

Being drawn to the dining room, she could hear shuffling sounds. As soon as she approached, there was silence. She raised an eyebrow and leapt forward to open the doors suddenly.

"Happy Birthday, Tsuna!"

"HIE!"

She was shocked by the sudden 'Happy Birthday' thing but still.

Despite its usual gloominess, the room was somehow exceptionally bright and welcoming.

Everyone was standing and smiling, or at least what they knew as smiling. Her eyes widened. Was this what a birthday was like? Her brother- some brother he was, got a lot of presents but it was nothing like this! It was a hundred times better!

"Do you want to see the presents first?" asked Gingerbread.

She nodded happily.

"I'm going first~" said Elma. "Because you've grown up a bit, I've gotten you more and new clothes. Every girl must have a wardrobe of clothes."

The clothes were typically tomboyish, but there was the occasional dress. Tsuna gaped at the amount of them. Although five pieces of clothing equalled one jacket of a Vindice member, they were more than enough and also, extremely expensive!

"I'm next. Since you asked, I made you some weapons," said Small Gia. He gave the box to her. It was a bit heavy and big. She opened it to find the finely crafted swords. The sheer glean and beauty of it made her envious of Gia's skills. She tried to hold them, but she figured she needed to be stronger and taller to handle them.

[My gift.] Wrote Pino on a sign and then handing her an odd shaped package. She opened it carefully, first seeing the material of the umbrella first. It looked like it would rip under slight pressure, but, according to Pino, it was bullet proof and extremely strong, which was tested out by the broom stick from Gingerbread.

"_Me _and master made some things~" said Gingerbread. "Now you can be a proper magician!"

"Wah!" She looked at the clothing, up and down, seeing the intricate designs and the wonderful orange colour. The magician's robe seemed to be another being. Gingerbread said that it would be able to grow into the right size whenever Tsuna grew.

"Something to keep you company if this brat isn't with you," said Alejandro, holding out the stuffed lion toy. She gladly took it, doubting that Gingerbread would leave her.

"Roses," Jack said. He made sure the roses were all fresh and alive. She smiled happily saying that she would rather have them growing in the garden only for Jack to reply that they were already growing there.

"I made the food and the cake today," said Lotterio quietly as he revealed the cake. Tsuna started to drool and couldn't wait to eat everything. There was a mix of Japanese and Italian cuisine.

"Because it would be useful in future times, here's a laptop," said Jager awkwardly. It was the latest design of that time, and there were more than one because she could then multitask. (In the future, they regret giving her more than one.)

"Here." Bermuda said it very kindly, much to everyone's surprise. His normal cold voice was nowhere in that one word and the gesture he made as he whipped out his present. It was a hat, much like his, however with orange feathers tucked into the bandage. She stared at it. So she was going to have the same hat as everyone else? That was so awesome! Something was pressed into her hand. It was cool and metallic. She looked at it. It was an old fashioned key with a chain around it with a note attached. She felt like she had to hide it before everyone else found out about it. She hid it in her pocket.

"I'll be giving phones out later," said Bermuda. Everyone nodded and Tsuna simply admired all the gifts she received.

"Then we eat?" presumed Tsuna. Everyone turned to her. Looks like the food was the winner. I mean, who hated food?

…

_Fuck the police, _thought this one certain person.

Since when was this secret mission supposed to involve the police? Being a part of the mafia was already swell and well, and then the police decide to try catching _him, _for God's sake. He couldn't kill them, despite how easy that would be, so he had to run. And that was so unlike him.

The police lost him within seconds and he headed towards the located area. No one even thought about going there because of its scariness and the fact that _they _lived there. He huffed and scoured the area. No one seemed to be outside. He found a perfect wall- easy to be climbed and realised it was the garden. Since when do the Vindice care about the garden?

He leapt over easily, finding the mission far too easy. There were orange roses scaling one side of the garden and a large tree. He looked directly down and was almost surprised. Note: _almost._

"Who are you?" asked the little girl who stared directly into his onyx eyes. She was roughly 8 or 9 years old.

He tilted his fedora unable to read her expression or any signs of thoughts.

_And since when did the Vindice have a little kid in their territory?_

"Yes, who are you?" asked another person behind him, someone flying on a broom stick behind him.

"Oh Reborn, seems like you're in trouble, kora," said the blonde who appeared behind him.

"Shut up, Colonello," said the female who punched the blonde as soon as she arrived.

"Hm, how interesting," said the one clad in red Chinese robes.

"Wah! The Vindice has a girl here? What are they doing?" The purple haired male managed to land safely.

"Shut it, lackey," said the fedora wearing teen.

"Yes, this sure is interesting," said the lab coat male pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Mu, this will be worth a lot," said the floating person clad in robes hiding his/her face.

"Come on, everyone, let's be kind. So who are you, dear?" asked the girl in a strange mushroom hat.

"Someone you shouldn't know any more than her existence," said 8 figures who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah perfect, the Vindice are all here. Originally we wanted to invite you to something, but here's something more interesting and valuable. So what's going on?" asked the female then looking at Bermuda who seemed to be extremely annoyed.

…

**OOOOOOH! So we leave off here! That's the end of the Evolution Era, and the next chapter is going to be the start of Jumpy Star! So the change, or evolution if you want, has started and it going to move on to the plot!**

**I hope you enjoyed reading, and thank you so much for supporting me so far! Thank you! :DDD**

**Zaira Swift.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Jumpy Star Part 1

**Well, sorry about the late update and the random rant. I've decided to give up and do what I can. I.E. Just go with the flow and write.**

**Thank you for 100 follows! ****100!**** Wow… This is definitely a first. It has also hit over 4000 view! Thank you so much minna!**

**WARNING: adult Acrobaleno, fem!27, some violence/blood, may contain swearing and if you don't like, DON'T READ.**

**Do you have any questions about this or any other stories? Tell me via PM or review!**

**Currently, the Acrobaleno are about 12 and Tsuna is 8, since it was just her birthday. If you're wondering, Gingerbread seems about 10 or just what he looks like in the anime/manga, he'll age too!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

"**What are you doing here, Acrobaleno?" **asked, more like ordered, Bermuda.

"Ah, so you are aware of our existence?"

"Of course. We are the Vindice." He said it as if it was something everyone knew. Well, if you didn't know who the Vindice were and you were in the mafia then you have a serious problem. Who knew, it might even be an offence for not knowing about the Vindice.

"Well, _Checkerface_ told us about you and your buddies' situations of being _ex-_Arcobaleno," said Reborn with a smirk.

"**Don't **_**mention his name,**_" Small Gia growled.

Tsuna who was on looking the situation was unsure how to react. First of all, the father of the Vindice had some relation towards the strangers and didn't like them. Secondly, the man with the fedora had this aura of intimidation which scared Tsuna to think of what he did for a living. The woman seemed very kind, despite her current opinion of the Vindice. The others were merely _very _interested, but nonetheless had some ill liking towards something or someone.

"Ne, Tsu-chan, let's go," whispered Gingerbread to Tsuna. She looked back at the Acrobaleno teenagers and the Vindice, as the two turned away to leave.

"Viper!" snapped the female in the hat.

Both Gingerbread and Tsuna were swallowed into some sort of ball of flames.

"Mu, that will cost you," said the woman/man called Viper. She/he was the one directing the ball of flames which had captured Tsuna and Gingerbread.

"Let them go," said Alejandro, already releasing his chains and the intimidating night flames.

A single hand stopped all movement which shocked both the Vindice and the Acrobaleno.

"Silence. We will listen," said Bermuda. Alejandro clicked his tongue in annoyance (**um, does he have a tongue?**)

It was the first time they Acrobaleno have ever even heard or _seen _the Vindice surrender. Just how much does that girl and boy mean to them?

"As you know, Checkerface, has told us of your stories, mainly just who you are as ex-Acrobalenos, but we heard about strange activity in the main manor of the Vindice and were told to investigate," said the girl with the mushroom hat, "he told us all to go, thus why we are gathered. So who is that little girl and boy?"

"A question for a question, why are there eight of you?" asked Bermuda.

"There are eight of you so what?" said the fedora wearing teen.

"Reborn!" exasperated the female who then sighed. "Lal Mirch," she said gesturing to the blue haired female, "is a failed Acrobaleno. The blonde, Colonello took her place instead."

"The girl, you have _right there _is a part of the Vindice family. And that boy is her best friend _and _Alejandro's disciple," answered Bermuda. "Who are you all?"

"I am Luce, the Sky Acrobaleno. Over there is Reborn the Sun, as I said, there is Lal Mirch and Colonello the Rain, Viper is the one floating there who is the Mist, the Chinese robed is Fon the Storm, the Cloud is Skull the one in the leather jacket and Verde is the one in the lab coat," said Luce. "Now, are you willing to have an alliance with the Acrobaleno?"

"We have heard of some of them," said Bermuda, "And my answer to your question depends on your purpose. What do you want?"

"As she said, we are here to investigate what has been going on-" said Reborn only to be interrupted much to his dislike.

"Who told you to investigate? Do you have permission?" asked Bermuda. Reborn, who would have told him to not to interrupted, held onto his tongue. This was the Vindice _leader _he was talking to. Even as the number one hitman, there was no way he would go against someone who has lived longer than a normal human, killed many rule breakers and the rulers of law in the mafia.

"As Sky Acrobaleno, you will know that I have unique abilities of some sort of premonition or simply able to glimpse the future," said Luce a bit worried about the current mood, "I saw the events that have happened here ever since that girl had arrived here. I thought it was simply an effect of the medication I had been taking due to my… small lifespan but it turned out to be the abilities of the Sky Acrobaleno."

"I will repeat once again, who told you to investigate and do you have permission?" asked Bermuda, threateningly.

"Vongola Nono told us. The official document is here," said Luce, taking the piece of paper from Reborn's suit pocket. A blazing sky flame was put right at the top of the paper and the signature of the Vongola boss placed neatly to end the document.

Scanning over it a few times and passing it around, the Vindice all agreed that it was legitimate, reluctantly.

"Then, what are you doing on our grounds?"

"Nu-uh, it's our turn, will you let us stay here?" asked Luce.

There was a moment's pause of silence. Neither parties spoke. Then there was the chaos.

"That's not happening, kora!" exclaimed Colonello. The rest of the Acrobaleno were disagreeing with living the Vindice, but then Bermuda, once again, interfered.

"We'll let you stay."

"WHAT?!" Then there was protest amongst the Vindice members.

"**AS **she is the Sky Acrobaleno, I am aware of the different and strange reasons that she presents and we will discuss this later. For now, _release the girl and boy,_" said Bermuda with a stern cold voice.

All the Arcobaleno were surprised in some way and were all questioning who really was the girl and boy. Viper released the two children back to the Vindices' hands and the two were taken away shortly by the female of the Vindice. Now looking at the Vindice carefully, they did not wear any bandages; some were probably in the middle of fixing up their bandages when they arrived.

_So they care _that much _about the two? _Thought Luce. She smiled. That vision was not something she really found that inviting, especially since it didn't seem it would happen until years later. But for now, she has to keep that secret even if it required going through Reborn AND the Vindice.

…

"Gingerbread?"

"Ah, Tsuna, you're here," said Gingerbread, as he ran towards Tsuna. The two were in some sort of illusionary world, the one from that woman. They could hear the voices coming from the Arcobaleno and then Vindice, finding it of interested. It took them a while to understand and interpret what they said, but overall, they knew what was going on.

The teenagers who just infiltrated their home were going to live with them for some unknown reason because they hold authority. What.

"Is everything going to be okay though?" asked Tsuna staring off into the sky of the illusionary world.

"Why do you ask that?"

"It's just what I think about." There was silence between the two and they simply waited patiently for the illusion to go away. When they woke up, they were in the medical wing.

"Ah, you're awake!" exclaimed Elma. "Do you feel funny?"

"Um… hungry?"

Gingerbread and Elma cracked up while Tsuna just reddened in embarrassment.

…

"Who _really_ are those children? Did you do a background check?" asked Verde. The lightning Arcobaleno was very intrigued. Never did he ever want to find out the answer so bad. For the most dangerous, oldest and powerful families, the Vindice, to take in a child, TWO, was only in 0.0000001% chance of happening. So what had made them take them in?

"Those children, as I said, that girl is a part of our family along with the boy who is her first proper friend," said Alejandro, "he is also my disciple and our creation."

"Our?"

"I make many puppets, many to take out disobeying families. Gingerbread, is not a puppet, well he was," said Alejandro. "That girl is the one who brought him to life."

Well, the Vindice were being surprisingly cooperative and answering, probably, private questions. They seemed very proud of the girl, however.

"That girl is very special…" stated Luce. No one said anything, because everyone knew that.

"What are you going to do here?" asked Bermuda.

"Observe. There isn't much else to do," said Skull.

"Shut it lackey, there are more things that we can do," said Reborn, kicking the stunts man on the shin. (They are sitting around the table in the lounge room. You know the one with the leather black couches and chairs?)

"And what are those other things?" The atmosphere became tense again.

"… We are here to investigate."

"Well that is obvious," said Jager.

"We including you, have to meet _him_," said Luce solemnly. "We don't exactly know when but he said that we should know when the time comes. He said we have to be as prepared as possible before we can actually go."

"Do you realise what you are saying?" There was a round of surprise when Bermuda suddenly asked that question. "That _man _is basically making us walking us to our doom. Because we do not know what is going to happen to us, it is almost sure that we would end our current lives."

"You mean we die?"

"No, he wants us alive. He is going to do something to us. Even though I am not the current Acrobaleno, he will put me into some situation where I will probably be unable to return to the Vindice..." _and leaving Tsuna and Gingerbread, _he wanted to add.

"Then do you have any idea what to do?"

"I do. But I _hate it…_"

When the Vindice leader says 'hates,' it means he absolutely _hates _it and it is on the same level of hating Checkerface. That… is definitely not a good thing.

…

**Okay, I'm sorry for the short chapter. I can't go further. My writing is so shit in this chapter. Lol… Bear with me, it'll get better next chapter. I didn't know what the hell was going through my mind when I was writing this…**

**So we're getting closer to the main plot? **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Zaira Swift.**


	7. Chapter 7 - Jumpy Star Part 2

**Thank you. I have nothing else to say but thank you. Already over 5000 views too. **

**I am also very sorry for the sad updates. I am also in a very bad mood and stressed over shit that is all a figment of my thoughts. **

**WARNING: teen/adult Acrobaleno, fem!27, some violence/blood, contains swearing.**

**Mammon/Viper is going to be a girl. There are far too less girls with fighting offences in KHR.**

**Do you have any questions? Ask me via PM or review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

_**Previously…**_

"_Then do you have any idea what to do?"_

"_I do. But I hate it…" _

_When the Vindice leader says 'hates,' it means he absolutely hates it and it is on the same level of hating Checkerface. That… is definitely not a good thing._

…

There was currently a staring contest going on. Not a friendly one too. Wherever the teens go, they were closely followed by a minor Vindice member who was not created from being a deceased Acrobaleno but people who had followed the Vindice to the ends of earth.

It was a wicked process but they all had sworn loyalty to them. The reason why they never enter the manor is because they were aware of the little girl with the unique power of seducing everything and everyone to make them accept her as a friend and someone to trust. So they feared her, okay?

"Does this _thing _have to be with me always?" growled Reborn as he glared at the brooch pinned onto his fedora which he was currently holding.

"Yes."

"It seems like a colour that offends this manor's darkness." The Vindice members stiffened.

"_You don't like it, huh? Then why do you like black so much when you are the bright sun? Or is it something that reminds of the past?_" asked a voice. It came from the yellow brooch.

There were quiet whispers.

"_It's your fault Jager."_

"… _I regret giving her that laptop… I said it." _

"_Thank you Jager for the laptop! It really is useful_!" exclaimed Tsuna from the brooch. The members could only sigh as they imagined the smiling face of hers which made them cringe from the sheer brightness.

"…" And so, Reborn decided not to destroy it in case a girl a few years younger than him would come after him.

…

"So are you a girl or boy?"

"That information will cost you money."

And Mammon instantly regretted staring right into Tsuna's eyes. It made her insides writhe in irritation and then spew out rainbows then swallow tonnes of sugary sweetness. Mammon swore that Tsuna would be able to succeed world domination with only her looks of a hurt puppy or something.

Mammon started to sweat under the girl's gaze and Tsuna simply kept staring and then smiled.

"Thanks, Mammon-nee~"

_Shit. _

_._

_._

_. _

_First I need to buy a camera and take some pictures… _thought Mammon. _Just think about the money… the money… the money…_

…

"Fon-san… why is Reborn always so grumpy?" asked Tsuna to the red clad teen.

"Well, that's just how Reborn is."

"What does that mean?"

"It's like how you trust everyone. He just acts like that to everyone," said Fon, breathing out.

"Really? Then is that why you're really calm even though you can be really explosive and destroy everything in your way?" asked the girl. Fon paused, still able to keep his face extremely calm.

"I guess."

Tsuna stared off into the distance and concluded that there was no more to speak of to Fon.

…

Tsuna was exploring with Gingerbread. AKA floating in the air on Gingerbread's broom to get close to some blimp being controlled by Skull along with Luce who was keeping watch of him.

"Should we pop it and see what happens?" asked Gingerbread. Tsuna shook her head saying something like there could be valuables on board or Skull's belongings and it wouldn't be nice in the first place.

The two grabbed hold of a balcony outside of the blimp easily entering the interior.

"GAAAAAA!"

"W-what was that?" asked Tsuna as she looked around. As the duo walked around, they soon found out that it was the combination of Skull screaming and some falcon.

"Why's a falcon here?"

"Maybe it's a pet?" replied Gingerbread as he decided to do his old disappearing and appearing right in front of you trick.

"BOO!" shouted Gingerbread at Skull as the Cloud Acrobaleno literally fell back while shrieking.

"That's not nice!" huffed Tsuna as she ushered Skull to get up and steer the blimp.

"Eh? Why are you two here?" asked a female voice, turning out to be Luce as she came into the main room.

Inside the blimp was also a horde of animals. There was a noticeable strange lizard thing, which Tsuna suspected to be a chameleon, the falcon from earlier, and a frog, a really large octopus which she somehow missed from earlier, a squirrel which was resting on Luce's hat, a small cute monkey and an alligator.

In some room down the hall way, from where she was standing in the main room, she could see the faint sheen of polished guns, knives, medical needles, baseball bats, sniper rifles, missiles for the blimp, metal poles, knuckle dusters, whips, swords, silver cases (probably filled with bullets and restocks for some of the other weapons), trap nets and shovels (for some reason).

"Hehe… Gingerbread and I were just curious…" said Tsuna said, as she grabbed Gingerbread's hand with her lips tightly pressed together and very fast power walking while cold sweat running down her face. Escaping from the fact the blimp was loaded with the weirdest range of animals- each deadly in its own strange way, then stocked with weaponry and ammo along with the fact the two most innocent looking people aka Luce and Skull were finding it a no biggie besides the fact that Skull is being bullied (?) by the animals.

…

"What are you looking at, girl?" asked the green haired young prodigy scientist. He had found a great place with good internet connection, not that he really needed it, which was also perfectly at the right temperature and brightness in the manor.

"Your laptop… what model is it?"

"I made it."

"Woah! Really? Can you teach me?"

"Not now… I'm currently trying to hack into a server with quite interesting things," said Verde as he smirked at the rough idea of what the database had.

"Can I help you? I'm good at hacking too!" beamed Tsuna. Verde looked at the child with a frozen face. No child says that with a _smiling _face, also with the fact that hacking seemed like a perfectly fine and easy thing while being _completely _**legal **_**and **_that she had probably done it for an entire lifetime and does it for just _fun. _Well, he too did it for fun, but at least he put some sort of effort and purpose for it- such as for his experiments that he constantly created by the day.

"Oenartse? Are you sure it isn't Oena tse to leave out the r?" said Tsuna peering at the database's owner's name.

"What?"

"Oena tse, is an African language for 'payment of,'" said Tsuna, "But wouldn't it make sense if you just make it reversed to make Estraneo in Italian for foreign? I mean, this is an Italian database right?"

(**A/N: If I have any of these wrong, I'm sorry and please tell me!**)

"… Yes…" For some reason, he had never thought about that. So much for over thinking... He had been trying to break it down in so many different ways when the answer was so obvious. What was with him that day? Some people just have to make things simple.

"Can I help you hack now?"

"Why not…" Verde replied, as Tsuna pulled up a chair beside him.

…

"Hmm…"

"Neh, Tsu-chan, why are you staring over there? There's nothing there," said Gingerbread as he hovered towards the area in which she was staring at. The look on Tsuna's face said otherwise, so Gingerbread did a small trick by flinging a few (probably like 20) spiders at the area, creating a web barricade while some spiders went through the barricade and directly hit the small area that was 'targeted.'

"AH!" shouts came from the small area and then followed by a shriek as a definite thud resounded through the garden. Well whoever he was, he had been kicked, very hard.

"I told you it wouldn't work, so listen to your trainer!" said the female as she came out from hiding, dragging the blonde with her.

"It's just us, so can you get the spiders out?" said Colonello standing up, poorly, as he clutched his side.

"Oh, there really were people there, Tsuna-chan!" said Gingerbread. "So what should I do?"

Gingerbread turned his head menacingly at Colonello, as he was sure that Lal Mirch wouldn't be the type of person to hesitate.

"U-um… Er, Lal are you gonna do something or?" asked Colonello. "Tsuna, are you gonna do anything? I mean you're pretty nice and all-"

Well, let's just say that that day, Colonello realised that Tsuna had a quite sadistic side to her and she is literally hell's _angel. _Lal merely watched her student in amusement along with Tsuna and Gingerbread doing fantastically in their team work. Those two were definitely going to grow up as great people. Unlike her student… probably…

…

"You said that you didn't want to do this," said Luce firmly.

"May I ask what you saw in your visions? I know there is much more than what you said in front of the others along with the Arcobaleno of yours," said Bermuda as he sat in front of Luce. The rest of the Vindice and Arcobaleno were all doing their own thing. Silence came from Luce as she looked down, slightly avoiding the gaze of the Vindice boss.

"I know that you would want your privacy, but this is very important," said Bermuda.

"It's okay," she sighed, "it was just a bit frightening at first."

"When you say you don't want to do this, why?" asked Bermuda.

"In one of my visions, Tsuna seemed to be probably about 15 or 16 something like that, but after that one, there were no more about her. The visions just stopped and still are to this moment," said Luce, "that vision was probably about a week ago."

"How often did you have visions about Tsuna?"

"I assume that the first time I had a vision about Tsuna was two years ago, perhaps when she joined your company? It stopped for a year and then I started to get them monthly," stated Luce, "in this single month I've already had 3 and they just stopped last week."

"Last week was her 8th birthday," Bermuda said.

"Perhaps that is a sign?"

"We don't want to overdo it but, it's best if you try and recall as many of those visions. Whether they help us with this situation with _that man _or not, we'll never know," said Bermuda. "Anyways, you 8 are all very young and you haven't become the official Arcobaleno although you may be known as them. But do you realise how much longer you have to live?"

"The most I have is about 10 years… Unless, of course, before that I get killed by someone," said Luce. "So this plan of yours, what are we doing?"

"Well, we know that whatever _Checkerface _is going to do, it will most likely prevent me from returning to the Vindice and for you Arcobaleno will prevent from living the life you have now. If I am gone from the Vindice, they will simply become empty dead bodies because they have limited flame supply," said Bermuda, "and the only person who can lead them is Tsunayoshi."

"She has those flames that you have right? Along with those sky flames… And we have to train her during this time in order that Vindice does not disappear, correct?" said Luce.

There was no need for a reply. They both knew that Tsuna was going to get involved somewhat.

…

**Because Luce is a bit older than the rest, so nearly 14, I won't be having Aria in the family tree, because, you know, the age difference and all that. So if Luce ever has a child, it will go straight to Yuni since she is about 9-10 years younger than Tsuna. Lol… So let's just say if Luce has Yuni, then she'll be about 20 when she has her and by that time, Tsuna will be 13-14 years old.**

**Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Once again, it's much shorter than I like, but I hope you've enjoyed!**

**Zaira Swift.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Jumpy Star Part END

**I mean what the fuck. Already more than 6666 views, 105 favs and 133 follows and 23 reviews? Seriously, it hasn't been **_**that **_**long since I updated this, has it? If we get to 7500 views, 110 favs and 140 follows and 25 reviews, I'll be really happy! XD **

**Do you have any questions about this or any other stories? You can ask via PM or review.**

**Warnings are the same as all the previous chapters. And the first part of this chapter… I have no idea what the hell I have been thinking about…**

**Ages: Tsuna is 10, Gingerbread is almost 13, Arcobaleno are 14 except Luce who is almost 16.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

It had already been about 2 years since the Arcobaleno teenagers had arrived. Throughout that time, the bonds grew stronger between the teens and the girl. During this time, there was a vast amount of improvement in Tsuna's physical status from helping Lal around while going around finding Colonello. Then there was Spartan tort-tutor Reborn who scolded and shot at her for everything clumsy she did (but of course he would then be warned over and over again since Tsuna was very precious to the Vindice.)

**You don't need to read the stuff below this until the next '…' since it's just random shit I was typing… I don't even know anymore. This should've been some omake. Meh.**

She knew the Vindice manor like the back of her hand and there was no way anyone could hide from her, even Reborn. The only person, who knew her like the back of his hand, was Gingerbread. We all know that we reach a certain stage in our teenage years and is a damn bitch called PUBERTY. (Yay or nay… we don't know.) Though it wasn't expected for Gingerbread to go through this stage, his puppet's body definitely had blood and he is a perfectly normal boy.

Problem is, he didn't really know anything about it, so he decided to ask his superior, Alejandro.

We won't go into details, since this would be quite awkward for you, me and Alejandro to bear with, but let's just say that Gingerbread asked very blunt and discreet questions which make you cringe double over and do tumble-turns. But at this point, Gingerbread gets the idea of what is happening to him.

…

"Tsuna," said Bermuda.

The girl who was dazing off into the distance while resting from reading an encyclopaedia.

"Tsuna," repeated Bermuda getting her attention.

"Ah… what do you want dad?" she asked as calling Bermuda who was centuries years old 'dad' completely normal. It made him cringe inside, but he could feel the creeping sense of warmth of being called that.

"Are you aware of why those eight teenagers are here?"

"It's been two years, of course," she says with a smile, patting her laptop that sat innocently beside her along with her encyclopaedia.

"Do you know what you have to do though?" asked Bermuda. He sat down at the side of her bed. There was a good few minutes of silence. Bermuda simply looked around the room which was quite brightly coloured compared to the other parts of the manor. The Arcobaleno respectively had their rooms painted their colours and in their designs and Tsuna simply wanted to keep it the way it was only giving it a repaint and the touch of design and furniture and all that.

"Well… are you going to leave us?" questioned Tsuna, breaking the silence.

"Why would you ask that?"

"B-because… whatever that _man _is going to do, it might not make you able to come back to us… or Luce, Viper, Reborn, Skull, Verde, Lal, Colonello or Fon… Then it'll just be Gingerbread, the rest and me…" said Tsuna. "If someone is missing, it'll be very empty."

Bermuda sighed at the girl's way of thinking. She may think of others way more than her own safety and _health_, but she has a way of sensing what goes around her, whether it concerns her or not and then takes her own actions without anyone knowing. She puts some kind of mask on and never shows it until it breaks or is no longer needed. It was hard to decipher, and despite the previous 4 years of being with the child, it was hard not to see the constant worry on her face despite being able to hide it very well.

"We need to take precautions," said the Vindice leader. "You are aware of how unique you are right? You have the most magnificent and dangerous flame that comes to existence in this current day and moment."

Tsuna listened. She knew that the black purple tinged flames of hers were dangerous along with the bright luminous orange that never dulled in colour even when it was with the black flames. It took her an entire year to be able to summon both flames at the same time. Although she did not know much about them, she gathered bits and pieces from those around her. She had often observed the Vindice from a distance when they were on a mission and required them to use these portals along with their chains. And that reminded her of the chains. She hadn't been able to materialise one large enough to fit her entire body through, but an arm, leg or a head, even, could fit.

"Before anything happens, we need to make sure you are able to protect yourself. But I guess in your case, to be able to protect everyone around you," said Bermuda. "Although it this utmost necessary, I am not forcing you."

"I'm doing it anyways. Anything to make sure I'm not… _useless," _she said, the last word in Japanese.

"We'll get to it as soon as possible. When do you want to start?"

"Is everyone gonna be doing this?" asked Tsuna regarding the Arcobaleno and Gingerbread.

"They'll help you out in a way or another."

"Then it's alright if I just set up a timetable?"

…

MONDAY:

Luce, Colonello and Lal.

TUESDAY:

Vindice.

WEDNESDAY:

Reborn and Fon.

THURSDAY:

Vindice.

FRIDAY:

Skull, Viper.

SATURDAY:

Rest.

SUNDAY:

Verde and maybe a mini mission.

…

Although it was merely who she was going to be with on those days, she knew that everyone had their own specialised area and it would benefit her to be able to do everything while finding her own specialty. Most of which she was going to be trained in were for fighting instances and considering that she had the Arcobaleno and Vindice around her, no doubt was there going to be a fight in the future.

The rest was mainly to have control over her flames while knowing their purposes. The most important would have to be Verde's lessons as they would tell her more about the outside world, how things work, along with keeping up with modern technology, medicines along with the fact that she was no doubt a genius. It takes another genius to understand another genius, but that can be proven wrong (right Verde?)

The first was was torture. Okay, not really, but when Saturday came around, she couldn't be more happy, relieved and relaxed.

Despite Luce's docile motives and all, she was quite the one to fight. It is known that she was like the mother of the Arcobaleno and as she was the only other sky there, it was a good opportunity for Tsuna to harness her skills of being a sky. She was told a bit about Sepira, and was greatly interested, but to her sadness, there was not much known about her. Luce was the type of person who could utilise anything within her reach and create it into a deadly weapon. For one, she said that there was one time where she was being ambushed by a foolish assassin. Considering that she was admiring flowers at that time, she picked a random stick from the ground and shoved it right up the guy's nose and then delivering a deadly kick to the groin.

Tsuna shuddered at the thought of having a scary Luce after you. She typically enjoyed Luce's company as she was something like a mix of a mother and elder sister. But she would be considered the mother when Elma was not around.

As Colonello and Lal Mirch specialised the same areas, since Lal was technically of the teacher of Colonello, she followed Lal more than Colonello. He was usually used as an 'example' and then Tsuna would somehow in a way, beat him. This was also sort of a stress reliever as Lal gave her permission to relieve her inner sadism at Colonello for any bottled feelings of stress. They often taught her how to snipe, recognise different bullets and weaponry as well as finding traps. The two rains soon found out that no matter what skill of traps or camouflage you had, Tsuna would be able to spot it with her 'feelings and senses.'

The times spent with the Vindice were basically spare time to hone any skills learnt as well as being taught the 'science of night flames.' She often asked how to create the portals without much difficulty, but she would never get a definite answer. The most she had ever gotten up to was being able to keep the night flame in her palm for extended periods of time. It soon became boring, since she would sit there for an hour letting out a black flame. Although it was interesting in a way, the Vindice member who was supervising her would know that there wasn't much to teach her as they no longer had the flames they once had when alive.

Now, Reborn is hell. It was kind of obvious with his sadistic and hellish personality and ways. He was constantly shooting at her with his strange chameleon creature which could transform at his will to something he didn't even need to say out loud. She soon became accustomed to dodging, running very fast (as if escaping the Devil's spawn, such as Reborn) shooting hand held guns and pistols. There was also a bit of kick boxing as Reborn was saying that her legs were as thin as sticks and although she had a bit of meat on them, she needed to tone in some muscles and all. There were varied ways he tor-tutored her and it would start from the very crack of dawn such as being exploded with grenades. This led her to be able to sense any movement even when asleep which would help prevent assassinations when sleeping.

After Reborn's hell, she would go have lunch and relax with Fon who would make her meditate for an hour straight to relax and release any malicious or stressing thoughts such as the very 'mean' ways of training Reborn. Then he would show here a bunch of martial arts moves and let her copy and then create her own way to fight. She felt very comfortable with doing hand to hand combat, and it suited her small stature and it boosted her agility and speed. When she discussed this with Bermuda, he agreed with her that it would be the best to pursue hand to hand combat. It was surprising for her to find out that Fon was the storm element and Fon would simply smile at her and say that it was the way of how he was created, whether it was by god, a person or out of nothingness.

Skull was very unique. He was known for not being able to be killed because of the cloud's element of propagation. There was a strange way for him to teach her. It mostly was being able to be emotionally stable even when being bullied. She often stopped Reborn and co from bullying skull, but that never meant it didn't hurt. Skull had gotten over it since he knew that there were some things that others have gone through harder times than he had. He helped her be able to sort of 'fly' and soar in the air and then land without difficulty or injuries. He then would tell her stories of his life and how he felt saying that he would be happy to listen to her troubles if she had any. Skull then became her consultant in emotional and mental problems.

Illusions were a magnificent thing. That's what Tsuna thought and still thinks. Mammon or Viper, since she now lets her, introduced it to her as another entire being of life. It could change and mould itself and be something of its own. Sometimes it could be real or not, and it was a source of imagination and belief. There was a bit of will somewhere down the road, but it was important for Tsuna to realise that some things are not illusions and some are. Although there were no illusionists as powerful or great as Viper at that current time, there were still people like her out there. Tsuna didn't require much in recognising what was or not an illusion because of her 'senses' but she knew that Viper was doing this for the good of her. She learnt that illusionists were always weak bodied as illusionists couldn't have both a great mind for their illusions and a great body to protect themselves when things get close. As Viper said, it would be outrageous if an illusionist could be both skilled in physical combat and illusions. (Two pineapples and soon to come apple sneezed.)

When Saturday came around, Tsuna would read up on a book or consult the internet for any help. If she needed to remind herself of anything, she would consult the person who was teaching her this or that. Most of the day, she would spend with Gingerbread playing hide and seek and then going off trolling and pranking everyone. Then she would relax on her bed, go cooking lessons with Lotterio or speak with Luce and Elma since Viper would be off doing something. Sometimes she heard numbers within the hundred thousand when outside of Viper's room. Probably maths or something…

Technology was a high point of her skills. Hacking turned into a natural talent for her and so Verde was there to teach her. After that, he would tell her about poisons, pressure points and weak points of the human body. One time, she agreed to try out poisons to become immune to them. Verde was suspicious but he gave her one that was rather potent to children of her age, but there were no effects. Finding it interesting, there was another experiment created. It was probably something to do with her flames. Then it was simply just giving her a proper education for geniuses of her age and then a good session of hacking and going through random databases so they couldn't get traced.

And all that, would be her entire week.

There were times where she was down and sad, but then suddenly she would just bounce and jumpy back up and then keep going. Throughout all this time, Reborn was tempted to try the new technology created in taking out regrets and a burst of flames put into a simple bullet. But there was never a need for it, since the girl had already gone past the stage of that bullet. He smirked, knowing he needed something stronger if he was going to shoot directly at the girl.

He opened up his sleek black phone and opened up a familiar number of the one and only Vongola Nono. He reported his findings and the progress of the kid. Besides he still had another task to fulfil, to train the successor, but that isn't until a few years to come. Before that, he needed to figure out the identity of the one Tsunayoshi. The surname? It was still unknown to him. And Reborn does not like not knowing something especially when the person was so close to him.

In a way, Tsuna was familiar. Hell, there has never been someone so nice and selfless as Tsuna except for Luce. Besides that resemblance there still seemed like he was forgetting something. It's as if he had seen her before but dismissed it as a minor part of his life. Well it's pretty big in his life right now.

…

**The following are the thoughts of the Arcobaleno and Vindice.**

…

Luce was very happy. Tsuna was a loveable girl and to see her in her vision was very worrying. Although she did not have any more about the girl, there was one quite inevitable involving an explosion. No one had gotten hurt in that one, but something had bothered her about it.

…

Viper was also very happy. Well, she has quite the lot of money with the help of Tsuna. Not that she knows about that…

…

Verde did like the fact someone was as smart as him compared to the certain hitman. The girl was far more interesting and it intrigued him even more when she went 10 times further than his expectations that soon became wild guesses. For now, he had to find some side subjects as he waits for his number one subject to be free.

…

Colonello was sure he was in love. With Lal of course… There was an odd moment when with Tsuna, but she was merely like a little sister. Anyways, it's not like Tsuna would look for any romance at her age or any time soon. This became the start of Colonello's constant flirting.

…

Lal was no impressed at Colonello. He's doing things at the same level as the girl and he decides to flirt to her. But she sometimes felt swayed by his… courting. No! She couldn't focus on those things. Now where was she?

…

Fon was the most relaxed out of everyone. He felt nice having a student and being able to experience first-hand of being a teacher had really given him a new entire sense. He smiled as he sat with Lichi underneath the tree in the garden.

…

Skull had been overwhelmed with different feelings. To be an elder brother and someone to rely on was a fantastic feeling! He felt invincible and so far, Tsuna had been doing as he said and actually consulting him for advice and all, although he would often spot the undeniable figure of Gingerbread spying on them with obvious jealousy.

…

"Eh?"

"Did you get it?" asked Tsuna.

"So… you want to turn these to be able to shrink and all?" asked Jack repeating what Tsuna said to him as she held out the orange and black swords.

"Yeah… it's kinda inconvenient for them to just be like this, and I don't think I'll be using them as swords but like knives if I ever get caught or something," said Tsuna. "I'm sticking to hand to hand so I don't think I'll be using swords anyways. For now, I'm just using them to be able to channel my flames into weapons and all."

"WOAH! Hold on there," said Jack as he put his hand in front of Tsuna to stop her from talking. "I get what you mean but what's this thing about channelling flames into weapons and all? It's like our chains- ah. I get it now…"

Tsuna smiled and nodded.

"So can you do that for me?" she asked with her slightly watering eyes.

I repeat. No one has been able to resist them. Even the great Reborn.

…

**Well I think that's the end of Jumpy Star! XD Thank you so much for reading and this took me in one go. It took an hour and 20 minutes… that's a long time time… But it really took me a lot of effort to think about the Arcobaleno is supposed to think about and how they incorporate their skills for Tsuna's advantage. I've been pretty slow at typing recently as long as generating motivation and will to write. I'll get my head around it…**

**See you next time, and let's hope I update soon!**

**Zaira Swift.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Wings of Piano Part 1

_**This was typed a day after the last update. It was updated late due to the fact I have been hyperventilating over a shit load of mangas I love getting anime adaptions and awesome stuff. Hope you understand. :D**_

**What the hell? When I checked the following morning for the number of views in this, it was already more than 7500 views in less than 24 hours... XD Thank you so much everyone for your support! **

**Reminding me, in courtesy of **lovleydragonfly**, perhaps some of you would like pairings. About that, please put your phone on hold and wait patiently until it comes around. More details come when that time comes.**

**Warnings are the same as the previous chapters. If you have any questions you can ask away!**

**To Akasha12: Hello to you too and thank you so much! Wings of Piano, is finally here! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.**

…

"Isn't it about time we let her go out and give her some freedom?" asked Elma to Bermuda who was currently head first in large amounts of paperwork. With the added load of Arcobaleno, the piles would be twice as much than before.

"She's 10. That's hardly old enough to be by herself."

"She's been raised by all of us, you think she'll be that easy to kidnap, kill, murder or target?" said Elma, rolling her eyes at her boss. Sometimes he was just _too _overprotective. People need space, especially children of her age.

There was a sudden slam of a door where Skull came tumbling in.

"UM! Sorry to interrupt anything, but-" Skull paused dramatically, "Tsuna and Gingerbread have gone missing!"

The two Vindice didn't react. "That's pretty normal."

"No! I mean like… they went on his broomstick and left! Outside the manor!" exclaimed Skull, doing his best to explain.

Eh.

…

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tsuna?" asked Gingerbread, as the two of them landed somewhere north west of the manor. After multiple lessons with Elma about the geography of the Italian mafia areas and Italia in general, they knew where most things were and the important Famiglias in existence. They have heard of the Vongola as Reborn and Viper were somewhat affiliated with them.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Tsuna as she felt like just exploring everything, everywhere.

"Mou… Let's just go around for a walk then!" said Gingerbread, "if I fly on my broom it would seem too suspicious."

The two happily chatted to each other as they thought about what adventures they would come across. Laughing loudly but keeping to themselves, they soon realised that they were near the main city area.

There were bustling people all over the place going from bar to bar, a day out at work or just simply shopping. There weren't a lot of children, as this part was a bit out of the main district where there was large shopping mall. The two went the long way, taking use of their time while being able to sight see, until they heard the faint sounds of a piano playing.

"Are you curious too?" asked Tsuna to Gingerbread as he smiled in reply. The two made their way to almost angelic playing of the instrument and were confronted by a shabby looking bar. Tsuna frowned knowing that her senses were acting up.

As they entered the music has abruptly ended with a loud slam.

"_You bastard child! You do not just come into someone's business bar and play your fucking music!_" shouted the large broad built man at a child who had the most strange grey hair and green eyes.

"Shut up! I'm not afraid of you!" shouted back the kid.

"Why you-" a hand was read to pummel right at the kid's face only to be stopped by Gingerbread's broomstick. Tsuna was already over and escaping with the silverette.

"Ah you might want to cover your ears too!" said Tsuna with a smile. Before the silverette could register what Tsuna had told him to do and the fact they just saved him, he heard the most agonising and ear breaking screams coming from inside the bar. After a bit, there was finally some silence and Gingerbread walked out completely unharmed.

Tsuna pouted.

"What did you do?" she asked in a childish manner.

"Hehe, magician's secret~" he said. Tsuna simply pouted and grumbled to herself.

"U-um… why did you save me?" asked the silverette, "I'm a bastard child and I'm not exactly that nice…"

"Eh? We don't care," said Tsuna bluntly that it sort of hurt to not be a bastard child. "As long as you're fine it's okay! I mean your piano playing was awesome!"

Gingerbread only nodded in agreement as he was afraid he was going to spout out something to make Tsuna angry because of his own jealousy.

"We need to go now-" said Gingerbread.

"I'll follow you to the ends of the world!" said the silverette bowing deeply at the two, well mainly Tsuna, "I'll play the piano whenever you want if you like too! I'll protect you and – and – and…"

"AH! It's okay! You can follow us and do what you want, but you don't need to! We only want to be your friend, right Gingerbread?" said Tsuna with a glare so that Gingerbread would comply. "So what's your name? I'm Tsuna and this is Gingerbread."

"Go- Hayato. Just Hayato will do!" he said happily.

"Great! So do you know this place well, Hayato? We're exploring the city since it's our first time out alone!" said Tsuna and then to him specifically, "if you don't want to say why you're out here alone it's okay."

"Um…" For a moment Tsuna felt down, thinking Hayato probably had something more important to do but… "I'D LOVE TO COME WITH YOU PLEASE!"

Looks like things will either get easier or harder, except for Gingerbread who looked at Hayato with disapproval to his flushed face.

…

"Where the fuck did those kids go…" said Jack who was unsurprisingly travelling with Small Gia.

"Don't ask me, bastard. Go somewhere else and stop following me," said Gia.

"Who said I was following you? You're the one behind me," retorted Jack. After a few good minute's worth of arguing, they finally stopped out of exhaustion as they had something else more important, aka, finding Tsuna and Gingerbread.

"Eh. Where did everyone go?" asked Jack, staring at the street which was completely empty.

"Idiot, you realise we're the Vindice?"

"Yah."

"And this is the first time we've gone out besides going to kill off some rule breaking shits."

"Yah."

"I don't get you," said Gia face-palming internally.

"Neither do I," said Jack as he speeded off which resulted the beginning of the race to find the two kids first.

…

"Um… Tsuna should be doing this?" asked Hayato as they sneaked around the back of the block of the buildings.

"It's fine Hayato," reassured Tsuna with a smile so dazzling, it only made him flustered. "You told me that this place was harmless."

"B-but… it's the ma-"

"Mafia? Yeah I know, father is in the mafia," said Tsuna. Hayato frowned, not liking the sound of Tsuna having a father in the mafia. His father was a son of a bitch anyways. Gingerbread only stared in shock. Over the years, he had learnt that Tsuna was pretty blunt and VERY vague in ways. She was only misleading Hayato to believe her 'actual blood related' father was in the mafia. If he found out that that 'father' she was talking about was freaking Bermuda of the freaking VINDICE, he'll get a heart attack.

"Then what Famiglia are in you?"

_Oh god. Doom is inevitable… _thought Gingerbread. It was also the few rare times he actually lost his cool. But then again, it would be amusing to see the silverette start getting panic attacks from such knowledge of Tsuna.

"Famiglia? Oh then… we're the Vindice!" said Tsuna with the brightest smiles she had ever shown yet. And so the process of Hayato slowly breaking down begun and didn't stop until a good 30 minutes later.

…

"Hm… if you thought like Tsuna, where would you go first?" asked Jager to Big Pino.

[**Perhaps just walk around town to explore?**] Putting up his sign rapidly.

"Yeah. Perhaps. It's very Tsuna like."

…

The place that the trio were infiltrating was a place in which you don't often find the scary mafia people. But it sure attracts the weirdest.

"Yo~ what are people like you doing here?" said a kid with white hair and purple eyes. Tsuna frowned. Her instincts were acting up. The person in front of her couldn't be judged by looks and personality and she saw something quite depressing. On his arm there was a faint yet very small scar. It was a scar from being in the hospital for over many years of using IV Therapy drops. The thing you see in hospital in which is attached to your arm and is stuck into your veins.

"What illness do you have?" asked Tsuna.

"Eh?" the boy's face seemed to light up in surprise noticing where her gaze had went to, "oh, I just have bad sugar deficiency so that's why I'm here."

'Here' in other words, it was a sweet shop they were in. Her instincts told her that boy was lying but she shouldn't pry.

"Okay, have a good day," she said with a sweet smile to comfort the boy. The boy nodded and left the shop.

"What the hell was with him?" asked Hayato and then promptly received a quick elbow from Gingerbread about not cussing in front of Tsuna.

"Okay! Let's go get some candy!"

…

"…"

"Gingerbread's a troublesome boy… so where on earth can he go?" said Alejandro to himself.

Lotterio only stared at him. He wasn't that good in these sorts of things. However silent he was he was the one who tortures the criminals to scream the loudest although he may not be the most sadistic in that mode.

"It's about lunch. They'll get hungry…" said Lotterio quietly remembering what times that they usually eat so he would have to cook before that time.

"Good idea."

…

"Do you think this is enough?" asked Tsuna. There were three bags in total, one for each person, however Tsuna's seemed suspiciously _bigger _than the others. Well, she was the one with the very sweet **teeth**.

"Tsuna, I know you eat a lot of sweet stuff, but one day you'll get cavities and I don't even know how you don't get fat," said Gingerbread.

"Eh? Well it's not because I don't get fat, but I can't. The flames sort of eat it away before I do," said Tsuna innocently. From all girls around the world who worry about weight issues, well… wouldn't it be nice to have flames inside you that just 'eat away your food before you do?' But I guess you'd prefer to actually be eating your food.

Hayato only stared at the two. It was kind of awkward for him, since they only just met that day.

"Here you go kiddo!" said the person as they gave Tsuna three boxes of food. They were in the multicultural area of the town, so they decided to get Japanese food i.e. sushi. And when they left, only did the area of that town got deserted because it was said that two of the Vindice were heading their way.

…

"Don't you think we should go look for them?" asked Bermuda to Elma.

"Huh, you don't at least have _some _faith for them? When they're done, they'll come back. It's not like they're running away or something," said Elma, staring at the once in a few lifetime scene in which her boss was pathetic looking.

"Should we do something to help?" asked Luce as she spoke up.

"It's fine, those kids deserve this freedom. It'll be interesting to see the rest of us going around looking for 'em," said Elma. "Your Arcobaleno aren't going to do anything?"

"I never felt the need to, so no. Skull's a bit worried, but he's been… restrained," said Luce. Elma and Bermuda raised an eyebrow at the word restrained.

…

"That was fun," said Tsuna as they all sat down in an empty park. Gingerbread gave up and decided to fly a bit on his broomstick. It was late afternoon and it was going to be dark soon.

"Ah… I need to go," said Hayato checking the time.

"Aw, will we meet again?"

"M-maybe!" said Hayato.

"Okay! Then till then, bye bye!" said Tsuna.

"See ya," said Gingerbread, _hope to never see ya anyways…_

"Hm… what did you think about today?" asked Tsuna to Gingerbread.

"It was fun," he said, _until he came along… okay maybe I did have fun with him…_

"What about you, Reborn?" asked Tsuna. Gingerbread whipped around and there was Reborn. Just chilling in the tree.

"Tch. Good," he said.

"Has he been following us?" whispered Gingerbread to Tsuna.

"To answer your question no. But I've been here the entire time," said Reborn, Tsuna nodded in agreement. "Anyways, it's time to go back brats. The bandaged freaks were scuttling around the place like bugs."

"But didn't you use bugs to follow us? There was a butterfly on Gingerbread's back the entire time and sometimes another would come," said Tsuna. Gingerbread strained his neck to look at his back. Indeed there was a butterfly there and it flew away into the area in which Reborn was.

"_Damn smart brat…_" mumbled Reborn.

Before he could jump down from the tree, Tsuna was already on Gingerbread's broom and they were off, going back to the Vindice manor.

...

**Omake: When they returned…**

The Vindice didn't come back until dinner. But none of them had the energy to do anything so Tsuna cooked food for Gingerbread while Elma just supervised the two. Bermuda kept doing paperwork. For once, it was there as a stress reliever.

The following morning, there was a cute apology from Tsuna, which made the Vindice, once again, unable to do anything.

**Omake 2: Story time**

"Can you tell a story to me?" asked Tsuna to Luce. Luce's room was next to Tsuna's and Elma's room and sometimes they would talk together before bed. That night, Elma was busy with a small investigation mission with a certain Famiglia.

"Do you have any books?"

"Um… I've read them all though…" said Tsuna scratching her cheek.

"Then I have a special story then~" replied Luce as she filed the details into order, "Once, there was a legendary woman called Sepira. Not many know of her and it's said that descendants still live to this day. She helped created and supported something called the Tri-Ni-Set, and it something that helps let the humans survive to this day. Because she started to grow weak, she had to split it up into three, which is why it has the 'Tri' in it. Apparently, she was known as one before the humans came and one of the last of their kind."

She paused and Tsuna became impatient, wanting to know what happened.

"Well, as I said not much is known about her… The three sets still exist now. One of them is called the Vongola and as you know, there is also the Arcobaleno. The third one is called Mare, but it's only passed down the line in which Sepira is in, so no one knows who have them," said Luce, "But the thing I know is that she had a very big mushroom hat and a clover like tattoo under her right eye. Ah, it's getting late now. Let's go to sleep okay?"

_Doesn't that sound like you though? _Was what Tsuna wanted to say, but the sweet lulling voice of Luce had eventually made her fall asleep.

…

**Okay, so we've had Dream, which was the introduction a beginning to Tsuna's 'dream' or the story for us. Then we had Reflection: the time in which we get the characters to get thinking and all. Evolution Era was the change in which we had Tsuna and the Vindice getting along. Then the Arcobaleno get in with a sudden jump start in Jumpy Star.**

**Can you guess which Famiglia it is? I know I didn't give you a clue but there are very few out there!**

**For Wings of Piano, it's gonna be more about freedom, friends, fun, and all that stuff. If you look at the Deemo picture of Wings of Piano, you'll see the freedom there since he got wings and all.**

**Thank you for reading and I'll try get the others stories updated.**

**Zaira Swift.**

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**P.S.**

**For those who are waiting on:**

**PLEASE SUGGEST A TITLE, well, since there was such a long time, there will be a revote on the title name and when I update that, most likely not soon.**

**The Rich, Useless Nobody, you guys are supporting this like there's no end… I'll start typing when I get the ideas and motivation. If you keep bugging me about it, I'll probably update soon.**

**Graffiti Target, as it is an original idea it's coming. Very soon.**

**Any other stories you want updated? Just ask me and I'll get some motivation somehow.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Wings of Piano Part END

**Hi everyone and thank you so much for over 35 reviews and 11000 views! This is unbelievable…**

**Sorry for being late… more than 3 months…**

**There is a poll up in my profile about which stories you would like to see updated. Most popular is gets first priority and second gets second etc. You get up to 3 choices. **

**If you have any questions, feel free to ask.**

_**BloodyWanderer13: **_**Yes…. She sure did great. Lol… Thank you for reviewing!**

_**Akasha12**_**: What is there to apologise for? Its fine and we're all different even if we can be bipolar… Hehe…**

**Tsuna is 11, Arcobaleno are 15, Luce is 16, Gingerbread 13, Dino 14.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

After the whole incident of going out, the Vindice were set with another problem. Aparently, Reborn who often snuck out and became missing for a few days and then return, was supervising the new boss of the Chiavarone who was already 14. His father had already passed away and had been under training by Reborn for a few years.

"And so, he will be visiting the manor as his first official job as Chiavarone Nono," said Reborn as he finished explaining about the Chiavarone's existence.

"So he asked you for permission?" said Bermuda raising an eyebrow.

"No, he would have done it, but as his _supervisor, _I must take some responsibility and push the date early to tomorrow," said Reborn. Bermuda merely stared at the hitman and sighed.

"Let him come tomorrow," he said, "I'll ask Tsuna to prepare something. What do we need to do, anyways?"

"Ah… I think Tsuna preparing something is fine. It'll give him a shock to see a little girl in the manor anyways," said Reborn nonchalantly, "and that girl always got some surprise lined up."

"Sometimes, I can't deny anything said about Tsuna," said Bermuda.

…

"Eh? Why do we have to do this? It's just some wimp coming over so what's the big deal?" asked Gingerbread, still a bit pissed off from meeting the silverette the other day.

"But father said so…" said Tsuna, doing her best to convince Gingerbread. It was the first time someone was going to visit; they had to give off a great impression!

_Sometimes, you cannot resist that look… _thought Gingerbread, sweat dropping. "Fine…"

Tsuna instantly brightened up and exclaimed with happiness before she went to Verde to ask for information about the Chiavarone boss along as going to a few other people for some help.

…

_The following morning…_

Dino didn't even want to go to some manor which was occupied by the most powerful and oldest Famiglia, aka the VIN freaking DICE. He was too young to die! Okay that was an exaggeration, but kids in the mafia died younger than 14… okay, now _that's _depressing.

Now seriously, if you had the choice to go to Vindice or go into training by Reborn, you'd obviously go to the Vindice because it was a one day thing, right? Oh how wrong Dino was… he never really figured out Reborn's treacherous ways.

Upon arriving at the manor, it was everything he expected it to be; dark, black, gloomy, no sense of life at all and very _very _scary.

Reborn was nowhere to be seen and he was starting to get a bit worried. Romario wasn't allowed to come so the only thing in his company was his whip and his tortoise, Enzo. He pushed on. Just as he walked passed the front gates, he spotted movement. Instantly freaked out, he started to sprint towards the front entrance of the dark manor only to fall over, like always. At first he thought he had fell over his feet only to feel something fury brush his leg. Daring to look down, he saw a black cat with amber 'glowing' eyes.

'_Wait… Doesn't a black cat mean bad luck?!_' thought Dino, screaming inwardly.

Once again, he fretted over the whole black cat thing. I mean, come on! He's already broken two mirrors and looked at broken mirror someone else broke.

Banging on the doors, he looked back to see that the cat was no longer there. In some superstitions, if the cat stayed, it was good luck, but in others, if it stayed it was bad luck.

The door opened, and expecting some tall cloaked and bandaged figure, he was met by a little girl with brown fluffy hair in a white dress. Her skin was so pale, that he mistook her for a ghost.

"A-are y-you a g-ghost?" asked Dino not expecting a reply. The girl giggled, making Dino melt in relief.

"No I'm not. Welcome to the Vindice manor~ I'll be your guide~" she said.

"Is this something of Reborn's tricks?" questioned Dino, still finding everything a little suspicious and a bit horrified about a girl in the Vindice manor.

"Eh? Reborn? He's waiting inside if you want to see him," said Tsuna.

"H-huh… c-can you take me to him?" The girl nodded happily. It was interesting to see him reach out for Reborn, even though he was _pretty evil. _It's probably because he only knows him.

Dino somewhat felt extremely calm around her. She seemed familiar to him somewhat and there was this pure vibe that he could get from the girl. She was rather cute and she was actually very pretty up close with her gleeful eyes. He started to blush as he realised what was going on. He tried to avoid the cute curious stares that he got from the girl.

When they entered the main hallway, Dino swore that the place suddenly got darker and darker as he kept walking. The girl, on the other hand, did not seem to react to that.

He heard small chuckles and inevitable screams.

"U-u-um… h-hey, do you hear that?" asked Dino in a hushed voice, as if someone was following them. But as he looked up, he could no longer hear the soft and calming footsteps of the girl or even see the girl. Lmao (- okay ignore this.)

He froze. The hallway was getting longer and longer in distance and he hear the cackling noises of a person. Was it an escapee of the Vendicare? Was it the Vindice themselves? Was it an _asylum_ of the Vendicare?

Dashing forward, not even tripping like he would normally do, and stumbled into a wall. But he went through it. This time his eyes were blinded. Not because of anything gory, scary etc, but… _the pinkness._

His eyes were assaulted by the bright pink that covered the walls. The puppets that hung around creeped him out and the one freakishly real doll sat _right in the centre of the room. _Within a blink, the doll disappeared, thus causing the movement in Dino's body to start up again. Creepy laughter erupted though the pink violating room making him start to have a panic attack. There was no exit, well at least he saw none, and that creepy doll had disappeared RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM.

Swirling around, he acted as fast as he could finding any opening in the room. Circulating the room a few times, he found a small latch on the side of the doors in which waited that doll that was once in the middle of the room.

"Why does this happen to me?" he thought as the doll jumped at him whispering something like, '_don't you dare get close to Tsuna_,' and he blacked out with a blood curdling scream.

…

"Is Dino ok?" asked Tsuna, "was it too much for him?"

"He's fine. He's a boss so he has to be ok," said Reborn as he merely looked at the security cameras that surveyed the room the blonde was in.

"I guess so… I mean it's only Viper-nee's illusions…"

A scream came from the speaker, making Tsuna more worried.

"Why is Gingerbread there?" asked Tsuna as she peered over the screen.

"Makes it better. The show is already getting boring anyways," he said. "Shall we go greet him?"

Tsuna nodded as the pair went ahead to the main hallway.

…

"PLEASE DON'T KILL MEEEE!"

"What? I'm just gonna hurt you. I mean, it's not gonna hurt _that _much," replied Gingerbread. The blonde literally just woke up and he's screaming his head off. What was his problem? The teen was even older than him.

"Please! Just let me go!" cried Dino as tears started forming at the edges of his eyes.

_How pitiful, _thought Gingerbread, _and freaking annoying._

"Gingerbread!" shouted another voice. Light footsteps approached them. It was Tsuna and Reborn.

"Reborn! This is the first time I have missed your face!" exclaimed Dino.

"Stupid and clumsy, as always," said Reborn without a single care for Dino.

"Hey, don't say that!" said Tsuna as she lightly smacked reborn on the back. Dino could only stare at her for daring to do such a thing to _Reborn. _Despite the Arcobaleno member not being that much older than Dino, they were known as the 7 strongest and were automatically feared. As the Chiavarone boss, Dino had held high respect towards them and was honoured to be taught by the self-proclaimed 'number 1 hitman in the world.' Of course he expected Reborn to be scary but not as _this fucking scary. _But right now, he had to get out of this 'Gingerbread's' hands.

"Tch." Reborn merely tilted his fedora as he turned away from his student.

"C'mon Dino. You haven't even met the actual Vindice yet! Don't worry about Gingerbread, he's just really sensitive and he's _always _been like that," said Tsuna as she let Dino stand up and follow her.

_Ah. She's the one from before. She seems nice. But didn't she leave me in that… place? Oh well, _thought Dino, not wanting to turn around and face Gingerbread or Reborn.

…

"So how do you think they're going right now?" asked Elma as she sipped the expresso meant for Reborn. For some reason she could actually taste it, just faintly though.

"Hm, that coward Chiavarone must have shit his pants!" cackled Jack.

[Maybe. I mean, Tsuna wouldn't take it that far, knowing her.] Said Big Pino.

"Ah that's true," said Lotterio, only not to be heard by the others.

"But in that small body, she can do many things. I mean, think of what she was able to do to us!" exclaims Alejandro.

"Yes, I would have to agree with Alejandro," said Jager.

The Vindice members were then interrupted by the entrance of Small Gia who was then followed by Bermuda and the Arcobaleno.

"We're here!" announced Small Gia. "Man! That was pretty funny."

"It seems like Chiavarone, Gingerbread, Tsuna and Reborn are coming. Shall we go greet the Chiavarone Boss?" asked Bermuda.

"Wouldn't that be nice? Shall we great them first, or shall we let the guest of honour decide?" asked Luce. The rest of the Arcobaleno started to think about all different impressions to give the teen. Only Mammon was missing. She was probably returning from her part of the tricks.

"I don't think there's a need. I believe Tsuna is already done with her tricks."

Or so they thought.

…

"Dino," said Tsuna.

"Y-yes?"

"So how old are you?"

"I'm 14," answered Dino, "you?"

"I'm 11," she replied with a smile.

"Uh… this might be a bit weird but why are you in the Vindice manor?"

"Oh, it's because they helped me when I was younger, so they're like family now."

"Um… where did the others go?" asked Dino, when he realised that no one was following them anymore.

"Don't mind that. If you're scared you can hold my hand! I know this mansion very well!" she said, stretching out her hand. Dino took it, a bit flustered and the pair powered on.

"Ah here we go." Tsuna pushed open a door, quite large in size to reveal a very suspicious looking hall ways. For some reason, it looked like _jail cells. _

"Uh… are you sure it's this way?"

"Yep!" she said smiling to reassure him.

As they slowly walked through the hallway, Dino started to notice the disturbances in the air. Such as the sounds of screams from the distance and then the gust of wind every now and then tickling his ankles as if there was someone holding his ankles.

The screams gradually became louder and the hallway seemed even longer. He turned to his left where Tsuna was. She was somewhat happy and was squinting a bit to see in the dark. Her eyes seemed to glow orange a bit. He turned to his right where he full on yelped and pounced back.

Oh god, that was something he did not want to see. No way in hell. It was exactly what he thought the Vindice was.

"W-w-where is this, Tsuna?"

"Ah, it's one of the secret hallways that I go to every now and then. There are some jail cells but they're empty. I think it might be haunted though," she replied nonchalantly. "Are you ok?"

Dino slowly nodded, regaining his balance. What he just saw was something like torture but no blood was spilt for some reason. That's when he became familiar with the scenes. This wasn't just some random haunted part of the Vindice manor, but the haunting memories that he once had with Reborn except he was looking at himself at 3rd person.

"Can we please hurry?" he asked, his voice cracking on the 'please.'

"Hehe, sure~"

That's when he realised that the hallway's end was nowhere in sight. Nor was Tsuna. Panicking was not a choice, nor was fainting. So he endured it. So much that he was once again traumatized and scarred for life. As he finally reached the end of the hallway, or what he presumed to be the end considering the light, he fainted. The last thing he saw was a wad of cold hard cash from a small hand being handed over to a cloaked figure.

…

"So what's taking them so long?" asked Skull.

"Must be the dark," said Colonello.

"But Tsuna's with them," said Fon.

"I believe that they're here. Come out Reborn. I can sense you," said Verde.

"Tch," said Reborn as he crouch jumped into view along with Gingerbread. "The brat is coming. Tsuna must have done something."

"Could be true," said Lal.

"Hmm. Oh well, we can wait," said Luce as she sighed. The Vindice looked warily at the door opposite them. They were able to sense anything living and breathing in the manor. Mammon, Tsuna and Dino were together. They must have met up.

"We're finally here!" said Tsuna as she entered the room through the door.

"How's the Chiavarone?"

"Oh, he's sleeping."

_I wonder why, _thought the females sarcastically as they noticed Mammon leaving before anyone noticed.

"Then what should we do then?" asked Small Gia.

"Let's give him a scare when he wakes up," suggested Jack.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Colonello staring at the Vindice.

"Oh it isn't much."

And so they started to loosen part of their bandages.

"You can look away if you want," said Elma, but before some could, she proceeded to dislocate parts of the mangled bodies of the Vindice. The cracking and popping sound echoed in everyone's minds along with the image being played on loop.

"Aren't you going to do it?" asked Reborn to Elma.

"What? You're gonna ask a lady to do such things? Despicable," said Elma. "Nah, I'm kidding. If I do this to myself, how am I supposed to help the others get back to their original places? They'll end up having no arms and no one to stitch it back on. Upsy daisy."

The Vindice were already in place.

"Well, we'll just wait then."

…

_Dino…_

Huh?

_Dino…_

What? Who's calling me?

_WAKE UP._

…

"What?!" exclaimed Dino as he sat up. He couldn't see anything. It was already night, wasn't it? Tsuna had left him to wallow and be forever forgotten on the Vindice's grounds. That's when he realised he was sitting on thin carpet. Standing up, he looked around for the wall so he could follow the outside. He walked slowly but tripped over something. He felt for what he tripped over to see an arm. A zombie's one.

"AHHHHHH!"

Crawling backwards, he bumped into something else. Something cold but somewhat soft. A dead body.

"**AHH!**"

Standing up and sprinting, he fell face first onto a rather large soft thing. It looked like a fresh human corpse.

"**WHY?**"

Jumping right up, he stood still and strained his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Only to regret that to see the bodies of 5 once human things with their legs and arms here and there.

"**Please… let this be a dream. Or at least an illusion. Please…**"

The light flashed on, him finally screaming once more.

"Quiet you annoying clumsy Chiavarone," replied the person.

"Reborn!" shouted Dino, as he sped to him to hug him only to get a flying kick to the face and landed extremely close to one of the bodies. It blinked. IT BLINKED.

"Are these alive? What are they?" asked Dino, shaking in terror.

"Those? Well, wait for them to rise."

"They're zombies aren't they? They're gonna rise at midnight and then eat our brains."

"Shut up," said Reborn smacking his head with Leon.

The one who had blinked, gradually began to move. He also was the only one with both his legs attached.

"Welcome to the Vindice manor, and I hope you enjoyed our introduction to the manor as our very first guest in a very long time," he said. It was Jager.

"Eh?"

"Hehe, the screams were great," said Jack. As he sat up against the wall. His arm was the one that had been tripped over.

"I must agree," said Lotterio as he merely dragged himself up as the one who was bumped into.

[Very true.] Big Pino was the one that Dino fell face first into.

Alejandro was semi hanging from the ceiling and Small Gia was spread across the room.

"Oi, how come I'm the one who's not got any arms or legs or even a lower half," said Small Gia.

"It's because you're the least liked," said Jack.

"How can you say that for yourself?" said Elma as she entered the room along with Bermuda.

"We formerly welcome you to the Vindice manor. Enjoy your stay and we hope we did not cause as much as a fright," said Bermuda. With the air of power around him, Dino could only nod and quietly say that it was not _that _much of a fright.

"Well, I've got to get these people back together, so you may as well go to sleep," said Elma. "Reborn will show you where you stay."

"Ah… ok…" said Dino looking at Reborn.

And so, the hitman and teen boss left the room.

…

_The following morning._

"I think I'll leave for today," said Dino.

They had breakfast, which was surprisingly nice.

"Well it can't be helped. Did you enjoy?" asked Tsuna with a beaming smile and sparkling eyes. Just realising how cute and helpless he felt towards her, Dino could not respond. Until he noticed the predatory eyes that glared at him to his right, aka Gingerbread.

"A-ah, well, it was really… interesting. I guess that's the only way I can describe it."

"Are you going to visit any time soon? Maybe when you're not working or something," suggested Tsuna.

"Oh. I mean, sure. Maybe," said Dino. _And please don't great like you did yesterday._

…

"Hm. So do you think it's time?" asked Bermuda.

"It's a bit early, but this is the mafia. I guess it's time," said Luce.

"We can always wait a bit," said Bermuda.

"I'm just really worried," said Luce.

"Is it another vision?"

"Perhaps, but I feel like if we let her go, then something bad will happen."

"In the end, ew'll have to let her have her own freedom. It's not something we can complain about. She'll start going outside and exploring. We're not caging her in, but we're merely trying to protect her," said Bermuda.

"But that's the thing. That might lead her to think that you are actually keeping her confined here unconsciously," Luce stated. "Well, it's late. And yes we can always wait."

"Good night."

"Good night, Bermuda."

…

**Well, Wings of Piano only lasted 2 chapters in the end. We'll start getting towards a plot in the next chapter in a small time skip. I hope you enjoyed and leave a review below if you can spare the time! Thank you so much, and I have never expected to have any story of mine to go over 100 follows, but 180? Seriously? You are too kind!**

**Until next time, bye bii~**

**Zaira Swift.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Nine Point Eight Part 1

**Welcome to Nine Point Eight or 9.8. **

**If you have any questions, ask any time.**

**Tsuna is now 12, Gingerbread is 14, Arcobaleno is 15-16 - Luce is almost 17.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own KHR.**

…

"I have decided to let Tsuna on a mission with the Arcobaleno. Namely Reborn," said Bermuda and Luce.

This earned many stares from both the Vindice and the Arcobaleno.

"That's crazy. She's only like, 12! Not even a teen!" exclaimed Skull. "And why Reborn, do you know what he does?"

"Yes we clearly know that Reborn is a highly talented hitman but he will not go to the extent of shooting someone dead," said Bermuda, "unless that is required."

"_Anyways, _this mission is only to get some research," said Luce, "so our Tsuna will be fine."

With the reassurance of the Sky Arcobaleno, they could rest at ease, however, the only living thing, or at least speaking thing, who would oppose was the least expected, who was Verde.

"And what makes you so sure that he will not draw a gun even when it is not required?" questioned Verde, glancing at the two leaders from his laptop screen.

"Why would that happen?"

"Well first of all, we all have _somewhat _changed after arriving here. We were cold hearted killers, hitmen or women, a mafia boss, cold scientist, stupid stuntman, army freaks or creepy smiling killers who are calm in all situations," said Verde. There were some shouts from Skull about being a stupid stuntman, but, as always, he was ignored.

"And," he continued, "I think it's a good change she made to us that comes with major consequences. In this case, emotional attachment."

There was silence, an invisible agreement to what the green haired teen said.

"But I guess this mission will be appropriate in these cases," said Verde, the atmosphere now no longer as tense or silent.

"Then we all agree?"

"Yes."

"One more thing," said Bermuda. "Reborn."

"Yes?"

"Recently I've been noticing some misplaced things in the… side building, do you happen to be the cause of that?"

"No."

"Was it one of you?"

The Vindice looked at each other.

"I was there a few times recently so it might have been me. I had to get some supplies," said Elma.

"Ah, okay, because I thought it was Tsuna."

"TSUNA?!"

"Why would she be able to access it? I mean she probably explores the tunnels since we don't use them 'cause we just teleport an' all, but you still need a key for the side," said Jack.

"Do you remember what I gave her for her 8th birthday? That was the key."

…

"Hey Gingerbread," started Tsuna.

"What?"

"Naw, you don't have to say it so coldly, but can I show you something?"

"Sure~ is it cool and secret?"

"Of course! Why else would I show you?" asked Tsuna. One of the many things that Gingerbread liked about Tsuna was her casual childishness despite being rather mature for her age. The fact they were able to hold the simple bond between the two was quite extraordinary for him. But then again, it has been like, 5 years.

"You know that key I got from Bermuda on my 8th birthday?"

"Mm, I can just remember it, why?"

"It's the key to _that_ place!" she whispered. "He put a note with it and he was like 'This key unlocks a door where you one day will be able to enter. But not now, you should wait until it is time.'"

"Aren't you usually patient?"

"Yeah, but something in my gut's telling me that it _is _time, so for the last few weeks I decided to let my curiosity take over. I went through different paths in the tunnels and I got to some door," explained Tsuna, "I always have the key with me, so I decided to use it and it worked! But it's kind of weird what's there."

"Why is that?" asked Gingerbread, listening intently.

"Well, there's like a few cylindrical tanks. They were empty, but it was creepy. I looked at some of the stuff and found a bit of blood but that's probably because of the Vindice's jobs."

They both knew very well what the Vindice did. They did not oppose it but it was a bit troubling when they first thought of it. After a while, it just became normal when they realised that they were living in one of the supposedly most dangerous mafia group.

"Let's go then!" said Tsuna, leading the way.

Starting off in the kitchen, since they were taking snacks from the kitchen and eating them, they went through a set of empty rooms into a storage room and behind a few stacks of boxes was a curtain. Drawing it aside, it revealed a door and it led into a tunnel. It was about three metres wide and was rather wide for being in between walls and such, but then again, we cannot question the Vindice.

Although it was dark, the two could still see and spot other doors and path ways. After a few minutes, they stopped an opening in which was like a secret room. It was merely filled with shelves of books in which were in different languages.

"What do they say?" asked Gingerbread.

"I don't know. It's sort of like Italian and English but it's like... old. I can't understand it," said Tsuna. "It's probably from like… centuries ago."

"Huh."

There was a large door that was mainly wood and metal combined together. The lock was small, and initially, it was rather annoying for Tsuna to find the key hole since she was short. Not bothering to move a crate on the side to step up on, she got Gingerbread to take the key and unlock the door.

Hearing the clicking noise, the two pushed it open to reveal a large room filled with cylindrical tanks. They were empty except for a few with strange liquid inside of it.

"I don't think you can go anywhere beyond this room," said Tsuna.

"Hm, but it's really cool in here though. And quiet," said Gingerbread.

"I guess," she replied then walking to one of the tanks filled with the liquid. The liquid was not like water. Rather than that, she had a feeling she would not like to touch it or even get near to it. It was familiar in a sense, but then again, it seemed like if you stepped into the liquid, you would never get out. Like liquid cells. She shivered thinking about it.

There were small gadgets that lay around, but she didn't want to touch any of them in case something happens. Gingerbread, since it was his first time inside, decided to look for any other things. There would have to be more than just this one room. There were no other doors than the one they just entered through and the tunnels didn't seem like they'd go any further. He tapped on the walls with his broomstick and was surprised when it went through one part. Feeling it with his hand, it went through and the cold feeling of metal told him that there was definitely a door behind the illusion.

"Tsuna, over here."

Investigating, she sighed, not even thinking about the possibilities of illusions and how Viper would be disappointed in her.

Able to clear their minds of the once existing illusion, a rather worn metal door stood defiantly. It seemed as if it had been opened many times, but a very long time ago. If they Vindice ever used it, then it was before they got used to using their portals. Requiring a lot of effort and small support of flames, they managed to open the door which led into a large and long metal coated hallway.

The sounds of their footsteps on the metal floor were eerie and it seemed so clean, as if no one had stirred any trouble.

Arriving at a large mechanical door, they opened it only to be shocked. The cylindrical tanks they saw were empty but the ones here were filled with liquid and _people._

"Hello?"

The people inside the tanks all had their eyes closed and none stirred, as if they were in a deep sleep.

"Do you think they're alive?"

"They'd have to be or why would they keep them here?" replied Gingerbread equally awed.

The people did not seem that dangerous in appearance but looking at some of the records that were next to each tank… well, it was simply crazy.

"Tank 100, Ghost. Imprisoned for life. Since XXXX years. Extreme massacre of those in possession of Flames. In progress of finding the alternate person of Ghost."

"Tank 74, Isat. Imprisoned for life. Since XXXX years. Broke omerta more than 5 occasions. Due to restrictions, unable to imprison until XXXX. Has led to 172 mafia men and women's families' deaths or in area of danger."

The two stayed silent as they decided not to read the rest. They left the room, the details still haunting them, and went into another hallway where it was obvious that they were jail cells.

Not making a sound, they turned back.

…

"Where the hell are those two?" mumbled Elma as she searched the manor. Just seriously how long are they going to play hide and seek. Those two were the best at it as well.

"Tsuna, Gingerbread!" called out Elma. It was nearly dinner but then again they ransacked the kitchen again.

Hearing a sensing a shuffling noise at one of the storage rooms, she went inside only to find the two replacing boxes in front of the curtains.

"What were you two doing?"

"Uh… We were just… exploring this room since we haven't been in here that much," lied Tsuna.

"I know a lie when I see one, but I won't tell," said Elma as she sighed at the two troublemakers. "You should go back. Everyone's going to get suspicious."

"Thanks!"

"Oh yeah, go visit Bermuda on the way. He wants to talk to you."

"'Kay!"

…

_**Mission statement: **_

_Find anything deemed suspicious upon investigation. To see what is deemed suspicious please refer to page 7 in the Rules of Suspicion._

_**Location:**_

_Estraneo. Located in a building of plot points at . _

_**Mission aim:**_

_Uncover any illegal conduct that exceeds limit in the regulations in mafia. Anything over the scale of 15 out of 19 breeches will be considered to be arrested._

_**Mission action:**_

_Remain unknown to the Estraneo. They specialise in science and experimentation however may have traps set. _

_**Extra Details:**_

_There is no map of the lab for the Estraneo, however would be useful if a map is created. Any paper copy or material which contains details on suspicion of misconduct will be needed for future reference._

_**Final message:**_

_Keep Tsuna safe._

…

"So I can go on a mission?"

"Yes, however with Reborn," said Bermuda.

"Is Gingerbread coming?" asked Tsuna.

"Yes, but he's going with Alejandro that day. He has a different part for the mission."

"Aw, ok. So when are we going?"

"By the end of this week."

"Is tomorrow okay then?"

"Too soon, we still need to prepare some things to make sure you're safe," said Bermuda.

"She'll be fine. She's with me and I do not make mistakes," interrupted Reborn who entered the room. He received a long heavy stare from the Vindice boss. Bermuda, after saying a few more sentences about safety to Tsuna, allowed her to leave with Reborn.

"What do you think that we will encounter? Maybe we have to karate-chop someone or something," said Tsuna, imagining what possibilities that they could encounter along the way. Reborn stayed quiet listening to her rambling until he finally spoke up.

"If I told you, that you have to kill someone, would you do it?"

"Yes." Not expecting such a clear and sudden answer, Reborn questioned her. She looked down at the ground and slowly explained why she said yes.

"Well, the reason is that if you ask someone else to kill someone, it's because they can't do it, or there is no one else but them to kill then. If not, then I guess it's because I have to, even though I don't want to," she stated and then added, "I don't want to kill anyone, but I guess I would end up killing considering that I probably will one day leave the manor…"

…

_Current location: at the entrance of the Estraneo building_

"Do you know what to do?"

"Yes~ Verde hacked in, so he'll get rid of some cameras. He also got some info about some unused or less populated hallways," said Tsuna.

"Don't use your portals unless you really have to," added Reborn. The two, hand and arm, leapt onto a branch close to them, not disturbing any of the leaves. Close to the building's side, they grabbed hold of any ledge they found in sight and carefully made their way to the top. The wall had strange grooves in it, as if to block any sound from the inside, but it had made it easier for the two to scale up the wall.

Near the top, they noticed a trail of smoke and the rather disgusting smell of tobacco and alcohol.

"Ah, fuck! Those fucking brats are too stubborn," exclaimed the person at the top. Reborn went first, a silent thud resounded on the floor of the 'unconscious' man. Diverting her eyes from the body, Tsuna focused on Reborn who was busy getting towards the door which led downstairs into the building.

From the outside, it seemed like it was approximately 2 floors high excluding the roof, however, Verde's information led them to believe that there were more floors below the building where the Estraneo may have been hiding something.

The two remained unspotted and eventually reached a stair case which led downstairs. Only one way in, and one way out. It was a risk they had to take.

"Something doesn't feel right, Reborn," said Tsuna. He nodded in reply.

They heard footsteps, but they were walked away from them. They ended up a hallway, rather similar to the one of that place near the Vendice manor, but were more narrow and weren't as metallic.

"In here."

A rather normal wooden door led into a small room filled with tables and piles of sheets and files. Grabbing a loose paper from the closest test, Tsuna merely could feel all the disgust against the Estraneo.

"They're experimenting on kids like me," said Tsuna as calmly as possible.

"That's rather normal."

"_Normal? NORMAL?! _It's like saying that they're experimenting on me and Gingerbread or something," said Tsuna. She didn't really know any other kids except for Hayato, but he didn't really come into mind. Reborn, suddenly having a change of heart decided that they would exploit them, only if there the experimenting is differently conducted than what the other science Mafioso have done.

Sifting as quickly as possible through files, they came across a booklet that contained three children. One was to be experimented with the 6 hells, one was with animal genes and the final one was with making the ultimate assassin, both silent and emotionless.

The other files on other children were the same with the three however they had all failed and died or been killed by the Estraneo.

"I guess this is good enough. Some of these children come from innocent families who vaguely connect to the mafia," said Reborn, feeding the booklets to Leon who somehow swallowed it into his magical stomach.

"C-can we go now?" asked Tsuna, feeling sick.

Before the two could move, a scientist suddenly entered the room.

"Wh-what? Who are you?!" he said pointing at the two, "Wait, did you bring that child here for testing? Okay, then I will lead you there."

"No. Rather than that, let me lead you," said Reborn, "to your _death._"

Raising Leon, who already transformed into a gun, he readied to aim at the quivering scientist.

"Stop it Reborn!"

"Do you want those three kids to die at the hands of _these _people? Do you not want to save them from the fate that had been forced on them from kidnapping?" asked Reborn. With a reply of silence, he pulled the trigger, but no sound came out.

"That bullet will probably not kill him, but it will cause a lot of pain. Let's go," said Reborn, grabbing her as they left.

"Wait! I want to go see the three kids!"

"Tsuna, we don't have time."

"Please! I'll take the risk, but please!"

"Where are they?" asked Reborn after agreeing.

"My gut's telling me that way," as she said pointing to the right which led to another set of stairs.

"Ok."

…

_I can feel someone. Someone not from here. But would they not be the mafia? Perhaps they've come to get us and kill us. It's not like they can kill the scientists. Even with the power I have, it is still not enough. I need to endure this. But I can't. Please. No more. Stop. Don't raise that needle. Don't. Just don't. I hate the mafia. I hate this. Why did this happen to me? What about the others? There were hundreds of us here once upon a time. Yet, why do I only see two others? What were their names? Chikusa and Ken, was it not? Ah. They've stuck with me for so long. Yet… why? Why with me? Do they not want to save their own lives? Maybe that's it. They're using me to save themselves. Of course, what was I thinking? Someone to save me? No. Never. Impossible. I should. Just accept this._

…

_**OMAKE**_

_Edit: The following was originally a chapter by itself. I combined this with this chapter for organisation issues. _

**Note: Tsuna is 9 years old here. And as this is about the Vindice's past, please note that they aren't true, so if you dislike it then tell me.**

…

_Omake: The Vindice's Past._

_AN: Although the the Vindice remains a mystery to all of us readers, this still allows us some space to imagine what they may have been through to reach the state of being the 'dead' Arcobaleno. Please be warned that this is NOT actually the Vindice's past, but what I as a Fan Fiction writer has created. Just as a note, some of the events are what I have heard about from other people and from my own experiences. I am sorry if anyone is offended, but then again, the Vindice is based off revenge and hatred. Enjoy._

"Ne, Bermuda."

"Hm?"

"Why are you all like… this?"

It was a question often asked, however none dared to ask. They, the Vindice, all were linked in a way, being the 7 strongest many many years ago and how they died and swore revenge on Checkerface. But Tsuna already knew that. Even if he explained it in further detail, Tsuna would still be able to tell that there was so much more than what he was telling her.

"If you really want to know, then ask everyone else."

"What about you then?"

"Did you hear about Sepira?"

"I heard about her from Luce."

"Then let's just say that, before I became like this, I was somewhat a friend of Sepira."

"You're old."

"…"

"Hehe, okay, I'll go ask the others then," said Tsuna as she walked off to find the other members of the Vindice.

…

_Big Pino and Small Gia-_

The two stared at the kid for a while. It sort of made sense for her to want to know. I mean, she _is _different to them no matter what she says.

"Sit down, kid. It's not gonna be that long, but you may as well."

[**We'll tell you then.**]

Tsuna beamed and sat down as Big Pino started writing something rather long on his signs along with the help of Small Gia.

You can probably tell, but we are probably younger than the other Vindice. But we technically had expected this to happen. We were alerted by the others who had befallen the fate of Checker Face. Although we had heeded this warning, we made many mistakes and bad decisions to get away from the cruel fate that would end up catching us in its foul web.

[Gia and I was often bullied as kids so when we had met for the first time, we had our own laughs and jo, which was then promptly ruined with Checker Face's plans. The moment we were granted the title of the strongest in the world, we felt so desperate to escape.]

In most fights, Pino and I fought together using our teamwork as a power. They once said that even if the weak would gather, it would still have some effect.

[However, on our final mission, we were killed off by Checker Face himself by setting off multiple explosions. We were naive to think that there would only be a few.]

We really didn't realise until we hit a dead end. Before we could even do anything, we were hit with a paralysing agent that had recently been developed and was beyond our knowledge. Then it just exploded.

[We had, grouped together, completed more missions than the others. Even though some missions which were rather minor, we really valued all the time we had spent together along with the others.]

"Well, I can understand that you can't go out and just have fun like how you used to," said Tsuna, "but I think that since you're still here and together with the others, it's okay. You aren't really as lonely as you think."

"Haha! I guess so," said Small Gia.

"Anyways, without you guys, I wouldn't be here." Tsuna beamed a smile, while the two just stared at her.

…

_Jack-_

"Ah?! You wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Kids these days are really curious aren't they," said Jack to himself.

"But weren't you too?"

"I don't even remember when I was your age, Tsuna, you can't ask me something like that." Tsuna chuckled. "But I'll tell ya, what I remember ok?"

I was pretty much a trouble maker since the very beginning but one of them went too far or something. I thought I was invincible and all, but someone just trashed the entire village. No one survived, they crops were burnt and the water sources were polluted or poisonous.

Ending up starving, I started to think that this was what what they called 'karma.' But the person wanted me to suffer more. So just when I thought I had the chance to actually get out of the dying village, I was arrested on suspect for killing the entire village. I told them the truth, I did, but they would never stop until I would say what they want.

They had all these evil tortures. I won't describe 'em but they're pretty gruesome and cruel. Those medieval tortures were all supposed to kill me but they didn't so they thought it would be no use to kill me. It was kinda funny, since none of their strange ways killed me when a clean slice to the head woulda been enough.

I couldn't take it anymore. Even if all the injuries could have caused death, I was okay with it. But it really opened up my eyes when I was visited by Bermuda. He made me realise that I should fear death and not let others play around with my life. He really opened up my world, he did. I really appreciated it, but then I was suddenly released by bribes from someone unknown. I was taken to someplace else.

He asked me my name and about my life when I was back at the village. He said whether I regretted the choice to let those people take me to jail. I said I regretted that decision and then was taken to somewhere else. I was put instantly into extreme cold weathers and was just told to survive. With the given environment, the only thing I had in mind was to survive the weather which meant I needed to train.

After a year, I was taken to somewhere else, said he told me I was now one of the strongest in the world. I felt sorta happy. And then he asked me once again whether I regretted that decision and I said that I didn't. Where I was least expecting it, he said that there was no longer a purpose for me and with a clean slice to the head, I died.

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Tsuna.

"Hehe, that man sure is, but that was in the past."

Tsuna frowned. "Even though that was in the past, you are still able to remember and reflect on it now, so you cannot just forget everything in the past."

"Come on. Now you're giving me lectures."

"Ha, we all know how to treasure our past, present and future. It just depends on the person."

"You're pretty smart for a kid."

"Then how smart are you then?" said Tsuna with a smug face, then ran off to find the next person.

"God, how much of that sass is she gonna have as a teen?" grumbled Jack, as he brushed against the mark that streaked along his neck.

…

_Jaeger-_

"… Well since you're here, I may as well tell you."

"Yes!" she said fist pumping. Jaeger sighed.

I had already known about this Arcobaleno. I believed that I could run away from being in that place, but every single time, Checker Face would be there to do something. Every town I passed, every village I visited, they were all eventually stricken with devastation all because I was once there.

During this journey, I was with Bermuda, who I happened to meet after bumping into him. He was visiting someone's house at that time. They were actually talking about the Arcobaleno and I just happened to coincidentally be passing by. The woman, who was the one who owned the house, in fact knew that I was there listening in and so the two invited me without even knowing my name.

He-

"Jaeger I summon you to the office," said Bermuda.

"…"

"Aww… Then can I hear your story another time?" asked Tsuna. She knew that whenever Bermuda summoned someone to his office was because something has happened or he needed someone's help with something.

"…"

Out of the corner of Jaeger's eye, he could spot the small portal behind Tsuna which had Bermuda's head and his mouth wording 'Do not tell.'

Shuddering, and daring not to disobey his boss, he bade farewell to Tsuna as he went to his Boss' office.

…

_Alejandro-_

"Why don't you want Gingerbread to tell you instead?"

"Because he isn't Alejandro."

"Naw, Tsuna," said Gingerbread as he strolled into the room. Alejandro sighed and laughed.

I just hate him.

"Ah? That's it?" asked Tsuna.

"Hee hee~ Tsuna, master likes to keep things secret too," giggled Gingerbread. Tsuna pouted.

"No, only you do."

"It's partially true, but I hate Checker Face," said Alejandro.

"Well it's pretty rude for me to ask anyways."

"Hm, not really. I'm just afraid that you won't like the story."

"Can you just tell me the basic outline then?" asked Tsuna.

"Sure. You've heard Jaeger's part right?"

"Ehehe, sort of," said Tsuna scratching her cheek.

"Okay."

I was with Jaeger at this time. I met Bermuda for the first time. I had so much respect for him after knowing all the troubles he had gone through after his own encounter with Bermuda.

Jaeger was his right hand man, and I did not argue with that and so I became something like a left hand man.

I don't remember much of my childhood, but I was always left out of my family. My elder brother was more loved than everyone else, so I was inspired to beat him. Then came along Checker Face who killed him in front of everyone. It was so clear that he had killed him with his own bare hands, but all the blame was put onto me.

They sent me to jail. I was going to be put through death sentence but Bermuda knew that I didn't kill him so he made sure to get the best option out of all my choices. I served a long time in the jail, a few years. I ended up having the materials to make dolls. It started off as a hobby but then it became something useful, that I was released again. Only to find that Checker Face had pushed 20 deaths onto me who had just came out of jail.

Before anyone could do anything, they just pelted me with stones. I just ran with all my might to find that Bermuda and Jaeger had been faced off by Bermuda, who in turn, told me about being one of the strongest in the world.

Everyone lost what they had, and it had been exchanged with these… bodies.

"You're still here," said Tsuna, "and that's all that matters. Since then, which is a really long time ago, you have been together right?"

"Yes."

"That's a family then. And because of that, you will forever be together, right?"

"Yes."

"Hm~ isn't that interesting master?" said Gingerbread. "You're being told something by someone a trillion bazillion years younger than you."

"Oi! I'm not that old you lil' brat._"_

Gingerbread stuck out his tongue and disappeared for Alejandro to quickly portal to find him before Gingerbread could do anything.

"Sorry, but that's all I can say."

Laughing, Tsuna merely smiled and replied saying that she was thankful for him to tell her in the first place.

…

_Elma- __A/N: _please note, that she is not the '7' strongest of the time of the Vindice being Arcobaleno. She was just someone who was just under the 7 strongest. The same applies with Lotterio.

"Hm? You want to know about how I became a Vindice?" The girl nodded. She sighed. "Okay. I'll just try making it simple for you to understand."

"No, it's okay," replied Tsuna, "If I don't get it now, I'll eventually get it one day when I grow up."

"Aw, fine."

I was pretty normal when I was young. I was also very wary of people, always wondering what would happen if they suddenly hated me or liking me. Sometimes, I would visualise these scenarios in my mind and then see what would be the best decision. They always worked.

I have always made white lies, or just lied in general so I would not run into trouble. I was very lucky every time and no one had been affected but I had a very bad guilty conscience. But then that led me to build up these invisible walls around me so no one would get that close.

Back when I was born, females weren't regarded as very important besides bearing children. I was still young, probably in my early teenage years and my family was rather rich. I would sometimes dress as a boy for education. My family liked me, I knew that, but all the accomplishments would all pass with a 'work harder and you'll get a better result.' It was something extremely discouraging when I had tried with all my might to achieve. I had been expecting a well done or a good job, someone to praise me in my effort and realised that their opinion doesn't matter. I ran away in order to get away from that fact.

While being dressed as a boy, I ended up learning a few skills in fighting. Before I knew it, I was able to fend for myself, but I couldn't hide that long as the opposite gender.

There were some nobles who wanted someone strong, to start the 'Mafia.' They offered a home, a job, a place where I could have belonged. I was unaware of the dangers because they never specified it in the contract. When I found out, I was scared but so motivated. I trained with all my effort in order to actually achieve something.

Then, I was approached by a man. He, as you know is Checker Face. He told me that I was one of the strongest. He told me that I was one of the most formidable people in the world. It was something that I earned. But when we, the Vindice, met as the strongest something happened.

_He_ stripped off everything that was ours; our friends, our families, innocent people, children- girls and boys, women and men, none of them were spared. Becoming the strongest was not choice or goal to work to. It was a curse.

"Uuuu…"

"What's wrong?" asked Elma.

"It's just sad. It's like a book."

"Except this is the real world, Tsuna." She picked her up and gave her a piggy back ride.

"Are you going to Lotterio?"

"Yes, he's the last," said Tsuna.

"Ok."

…

_Lotterio- _A/N: please remember Lotterio is one for little words. Very simple person as well.

"…"

"Please."

"Okay…"

I was a slave. I didn't want to be weak because everyone would beat me. They told me I was cursed, so I kept transferring masters. One of them was one of Mafioso underneath Checker Face. So I trained and trained so I would no longer get beaten. And then Checker Face approached me saying I was one of the strongest.

Everyone knew that, so they ganged up on me. They tortured me. But it didn't even hurt. What hurt was that Checker Face was the one who initiated that attack.

"But how can he just give you the title of being one of the strongest?" asked Tsuna. She remembered how Elma said about how others opinions didn't matter and only your own. She believed that if her friends were dissed by someone else, then it would be here opinion of helping her friends and preventing that.

"… I don't know…"

Tsuna smiled. "Then I don't think it really matters as long as you think you're strong. Checker Face is just a bad person that hurt you."

…

_**If only that were true. If only Checker Face was just a 'Bad Person.'**_

…

**Remember that Elma and Lotterio were included because there were 2 unnamed Vindice in which I just had to put in because one is female and the other was a good way to put in a neat personality- which he doesn't speak much. :^)**

**Thanks for reading, anyways. Leave a review or a question if you like. :)**

**Zaira Swift.**


	12. Chapter 12 - Nine Point Eight Part 2

**Part 2 of Nine Point Eight/9.8 is here~ This chapter isn't feel-much, so you'll get through it. I don't know why, but I feel like this serious plot for Mukuro is just going to lead up to… you'll see… **

**Sorry it's a bit short. :^)**

**503 errors ruined my view count. I cry.**

**Remember****, a poll's up on my profile for what stories you want to see updated. You get 3 choices. If you have any questions, ask any time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

**…**

_Previously-_

_Tsuna discovers the Vendicare with Gingerbread. They explore and find quite a few strange things. Then, Tsuna is tasked to her first mission with Reborn to search the Estraneo for any suspicious behaviour. They thought it was just a minor mission, but they find a few files on children who have been experimented on in extremely harsh ways. They decide to help them, even after being discovered. Fortunately, only one of the Estraneo has discovered them. _

…

There was a stinging pain in his eye. No matter how much he clutched at it or treated it with care, it hurt. He asked himself why? Just barely, he opened his other eye and looked upon the scene before him. On one of the boy's face, a large cut spread across his face. His complexion was paled and was dangerously malnourished, just like the other boy and him. The edges of his mouth were cut from countless amounts of putting in and taking out fangs of different animals. Just looking at it, he could feel the taste of blood on his tongue.

The other boy had a barcode on his face. He showed no emotion despite the many injuries from injections of physical enhancement. He had no energy and did not seem like he would be able to get up unless he was forced to. The blood that slowly dripped from the pits of his elbows and neck made him feel sick at the sight having being reminded by the forceful eye transplant and injections.

He could feel drowsiness taking over his body, but there was something there that kept telling him not to fall asleep. He felt the small tremors in the ground. Another child? Of course they'd bring another person. I mean, what child would come to this place?

"_Hello?_"

A female's voice. It was so pure and kind. Ah, what a pity she would merely be thrown into such a world and then tortured.

"_Hey, can you speak?_"

He looked up to see an angel. Well, not really since she was dressed in black but she had a pale face with rather puffy brown hair and brown gold eyes. Why would she be in the depths of hell? Now he just pitied her more for being there. That is until he saw the person behind her.

"You-you're…" his instinct told him that person would not attack him but his rather vast knowledge on the mafia's most formidable people did not think that way.

"Ah, so you know Reborn? Don't worry we're not here to hurt you," said Tsuna with a soothing tone. She didn't want them to think that they were going to hurt them.

"Why are you here?" questioned the bluenette.

"We're here to save you."

The person merely stared at them and then laughed, very creepily.

"Kufufu, and how can you do that? Even if you have the number one hitman in the world, you can't escape."

"Then you'd ask, how we got here without getting caught," said Tsuna. He remained silent and Reborn seemed to be insulted that he would not be able to escape the hell hole. "So what's your name?"

"Test subject 69."

"No, I mean your _real name. _You have one don't you?"

He thought long and hard, sifting through the memories that he thought he had already forgotten. Mukuro… Rokudo…

"Mukuro Rokudo? Nice to meet you. I'm Tsuna and as you know that's Reborn," she said introducing herself.

"Tsuna, hurry. We won't have enough time," said Reborn impatiently.

"Ok, grumpy fedora man," replied Tsuna, "how are the other two?"

"Ken and Chikusa."

"Yes, Ken and Chikusa."

The two who were once resting now stared at the two strangers.

"We-we're leaving here?" asked Ken his body slightly trembling at the slight possibility.

With a smile, she nodded. "Yes, you're gonna leave here."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A man stepped out of the shadows of the room, a strange mist behind him. His face had scars like knitted lines, sharp eyes and his hair spikey. Reborn, who was unable to sense the man, instantly took action only to draw back when he realised that the scientist was drawing him into where the strange mist was.

"Cover your mouths." Tsuna nodded as she gestured to the three other boys to do the same. Leon transformed into a gas mask and Reborn pulled out a hand gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, this gas is flammable," said the scientist. Not wanting to risk the danger of hurting the younger children, he could only grunt and listen to the Estraneo scientist.

The facial features on him started to change. The eyes became dilated and his movement became jagged.

"Don't worry, none of you will escape but nor can we, considering the number 1 hitman to be here. Take your time, our research has already been completed."

"What do you mean, research? Is it on those three?"

"Oh no… they were just a process to get to what we wanted, a stepping stone perhaps," he said, "think of it… as a honour to die under our family. The Estraneo _are _indeed one of the most powerful famiglias."

"What?"

"10 seconds," the man rasped, and then chucked a watch at the hitman. "It'll count to ten... and then it's all gonna _blow!_"

The man ended up gasping for his last breath while he fell to the ground.

Wide eyes started to stare at the watch as it displayed '00:00' as it started to rise as soon as the man fell.

"Tsuna, I'll take them."

Something started to make Tsuna feel extremely worried. They gathered up the three boys who started to panic. Reborn carried Ken and Chikusa as they were nearer him than Tsuna. Tsuna ended up getting Mukuro. It cost her precious moments to actually get him up and going.

"It'll be faster for me to walk myself," said Mukuro.

"Then go!" exclaimed Tsuna.

The group managed to get out of the room and into the main corridor, but they were still far from the exit.

_3…._

They managed to reach the end and were already going up the staircase.

"Reborn I can't use my flames! Something is stopping it!"

"It's the lab's barrier. They did this so we wouldn't escape," said Mukuro. He was using his own illusions to temporarily forget about the pain and run. It was the one chance that they were given to escape. He would use all his power to do so.

_7…_

They were nearly at the top of the stair case.

_8…_

They started to bolt down the hallway to the exit. There was merely a window. The doors had been locked. Breaking the window swiftly with a bullet, Reborn crashed through it with the two boys trying to minimise the damage.

_9…_

Mukuro had just managed to leap up onto the ledge and started to run.

_9.3…_

Only then did he realise he made a big mistake. And then turned back around and ran towards Tsuna.

_9.5…_

Tsuna was already scrambling up and grabbed hold onto Mukuro's arms as he outstretched them. She glanced at the watch.

**_9.8_**

The watch had stopped at exactly that time. But that gut stabbing feeling told Tsuna that it was not as it seems.

"RUN!" as she pushed Mukuro forward.

That was when everyone looked at the person at the very back who had barely pushed Mukuro out of the way until the building was engulfed in raging flames.

…

_No…_

_Did I really just kill my saviour?_

_No, it can't be. _

_Please don't torture me to these extents!_

"It's alright. She is not dead." said Reborn with a smirk. He knew that he was well worried about Tsuna. He wanted to believe that she would live up to his expectations. But isn't that what would worry her the most? He was tasked to protect her. _Him. _And he NEVER failed a mission.

He automatically reached for his phone that connected him back to the Vindice manor.

The phone ringed a few times before someone had picked up.

Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro just sat there watching the flames, unable to move.

"_Hello, Reborn?"_ it was Elma who picked up.

"It's about Tsuna."

"_Oh yeah, she used her night flames, didn't she?_"

"Huh?"

"_I guess you can't really sense night flames,_" she said, "_I heard from Verde about the explosions. And rest assured, she is fine. She managed to portal out._"

"Oi, wh-what are you doing? Calling for back up?" asked Mukuro, his voice slightly shaky.

"No. What hitman calls for back up? They informed that Tsuna is alive."

"_Were you worried? Ha, typical Reborn. Well only problem is that-_"

The call was instantly cut off. One part of the phone had been broken and slightly melted by the heat. The fire had already started to spread, so the group, now reduced to four, had to get themselves going.

As they made their escape, they could still feel the guilt that worn them down.

"Hey, if she's alive, why aren't we going to go look for her?" asked Chikusa.

"Do you know who _they _are?"

"Ha?"

"The Vindice." With the mere mention of the Vindice, the trio paused for a moment in slight surprise. They were worried. They didn't want to be arrested by them. They didn't even want to know what reasons they could get prosecuted for.

"If you're worried about what I think you're worrying about, it's okay. Tsuna's going to persuade them."

"How? Wait, you know them?!"

"Something like that... We live with them," said Reborn. The trio's jaws literally dropped as Reborn continued. "She can just say a sentence and then sway their thoughts. Very interesting and rather amusing."

"So we are going there now?" asked Ken, who remained rather silent about this fiasco.

"To where we live."

They remained silent. They didn't really want to live where the Vindice live. But it's what they've got and Tsuna lived there too… wait, why did Tsuna come into mind?

Reborn seemed rather pissed. It was as if he didn't really want to take in the three but it seemed like it was Tsuna's decision to escape with the three. With the hitman's help, they were rather doubtful of his intentions but were still grateful, for without him, they may have never succeeded in escaping.

…

"Viper."

"Yes, Verde?"

"Where is Tsuna?"

"Money."

"Ah, there is no need for that you two," said Luce interrupting the two trying to make a deal.

Viper clicked her tongue after Luce interrupted her perfect opportunity to get some cash. Verde seemed pissed as he didn't know something.

"Tsuna is in a safe place."

"And how do you know if it's safe?" asked Viper.

"My vision showed me where," said Luce with a smile and then towards Viper, "You know these people I believe." The silence from Viper confirmed that she knew where Tsuna was even without using her thoughtography to find her.

"Where is a car?"

"You're too young to drive one."

"The Vindice can drive."

"They're too old."

"This is mafia."

"There is police."

"There are illusions."

"There is _me_," said Luce smiling sunshine and rainbows but emitting an alarming aura.

…

She could still feel the touch of the velvety portal. There were some burn marks, but she presumed it was from the explosion. In her hand, she still clutched the watch that had been crushed from the pressure.

She didn't know where she was, but it definitely was not somewhere she had been before. She bit her tongue as she accidentally tripped over her own feet and cursing her clumsiness.

Taking a stroll, rather leisurely, in the unknown place, she found a large main room where a large staircase led up to the next floor. Something seemed painstakingly familiar about the large plague that symbolised some famiglia. Upon closer inspection, she recognised VONGOLE printed neatly on it.

There was a lot of space to explore. It didn't seem like anyone even lived there. She couldn't use any of her flames and she couldn't portal since she didn't know where she was. She had not really fully controlled her night flames, since they were something that would only manifest after certain situations.

Without her noticing, she had strolled into a room where it looked like nothing had disturbed it for many years, perhaps even decades.

There were bookshelves and a few stacks of books that were placed on a table. One specific book stood out from the other books as it was the thickest and the largest in size. It also seemed to be the only book that had been touched compared to the others, as if it was specifically read for its contents.

Flicking to some pages with some random book marks, she found small photos and drawings along with words that she semi recognised as Italian, but not Italian. Thank god she was still in Italy.

She could make out some words, but the book itself was unfinished. It generally went along the lines of "This is the first time for this famiglia." She suspected it was a famiglia history book. So she was in some mafia mansion. At the end of the book, some of the words were illegible as if someone cried tears onto it or someone had accidentally poured some liquid on it.

But it clearly said: _He is not my son._

**"Who's there?!"**

**…**

**Short, but I hope you enjoyed! It won't be a while till I update next time. Holidays come in 2 weeks so maybe something might happen then.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Nine Point Eight Part END

**Part 3 of Nine Point of Eight/9.8! I have no idea what I am doing but I believe this is absolutely necessary. **

**On the ****17****th**** of September****, I should be getting my invite for Archive of Our Own. It is NOT going to be my priority as I will post my stories there so I can access it at school. On that day it is also my 14****th**** birthday. Lol.**

**FanFiction was down for a while so the statistics have been stuffed up and I'm really pissed since it's no longer accurate.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

_Previously –_

_Barely, and just barely, Tsuna escapes the explosion at the Estraneo lab building by randomly portal-ling to somewhere. Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa, in the care of Reborn, are now safe and are going to be taken under care of the Vindice and Arcobaleno. Tsuna however, ends up in a mysterious place which happens to be in relation of the Vongola and is discovered by someone._

…

"Who's there?!"

Snapping her head around, Tsuna could only barely move her head to the left before a person pinned her down onto the table with a gun directly next to her head. Red raging eyes stared right into her golden brown eyes. It was a while since she had actually felt this sort of terror and fear but her instinct told her that he would not hurt her despite all her body's reactions to the attacking person.

Unable to speak, she could only try and over throw the person with her physical strength but failed in doing so. She couldn't properly grasp her flames because of the fear that shook through her body.

"How did you get here?" asked the person. He wasn't that much older than her. About 15. He was rather tanned and tall but not as tall as Reborn. His expression showed so much rage and sadness, Tsuna couldn't help but try and reach out to him. He seemed terrified of touch, so she quickly drew back her hand and then regained her courage to speak.

"I won't hurt you."

"What can you even do?" he asked ferociously until he noticed the burns on her arms and the burnt edges of her clothes. There was no fire was there? "I'll ask one more time, how did you get here?"

"Uh… haha, um, you probably won't believe me but I used a portal?" she replied even questioning herself.

"That's impossible. If it's true, prove it!"

"That's impossible even you tell me to," said Tsuna, scratching her cheek as she massaged her arms. "I'm out of flames and-"

"Flames? You have flames?"

"Ye-"

"Don't tell me you have that goddamn flame of _that _bastard," he growled.

"Wait, wait, wait… even if I _may _or _may not _have the same flame of whoever that person is, you can't just kill me for that," said Tsuna trying to get out of her situation, "also don't swear."

"What can a brat like you do?" She felt a spark. A notice that she could tell what flames the person in front of her held. They were very similar to her sky flames, but it was burning hot and much more vicious, like rage. On the other hand, the person started to slowly recognise where he had seen her before. It wasn't exactly like that person, but the similarities were impeccable.

"Are you a Vongola brat? You're that descendant of _Primo, _aren't you? You're the one who will take my place at the head!" he exclaimed, his rage reignited. But not only his rage ignite, so did Tsuna's. She had pieced together why he seemed so mad. That book was the sole reason.

"Oh? So? I don't know what or _why _this Vongola is or so important, but I believe that I have nothing related to it. I'm sorry for trespassing to just escape on instinct like all normal humans would," said Tsuna releasing the sass. The person seemed rather baffled.

"You seem to see me as someone you know," continued Tsuna, a small flame blazing on her forehead, "but I have no idea who you are supposed to be, so why should I be questioned, ha? So who are you?"

Still speechless he merely just took a step back, just barely and as he was just to reply, she sighed and calmed down.

"Ow. Uh do you have like something to treat burns?" she asked, nervously laughing.

He didn't question it. He didn't dare. This brat knew the hang of life and to trust him was something she must have thought about deeply. Not saying another, he just took her by her arm (where it was not exactly wounded but meh) and led her out of the room.

Suddenly being grabbed, Tsuna couldn't really do much but stare at the back of the mysterious person.

…

"Let me go."

"What. You don't want to go?" asked Reborn, as the four stood outside the Vindice Manor.

"Come on byon, they are scary." Chikusa earned a glare from Mukuro.

"Appreciate my help. We're going anyways," said Reborn, dragging them towards the entrance.

…

"Um where are we anyways?" asked Tsuna.

He was still rather silent as he pulled out a first aid kid and then stopped as he noticed the slight disturbance in the air. He mumbled something, getting rather irritated as he applied a cooling cream on her arm and plastered on bandages.

A gleam in the shadows alerted Tsuna and quickly took action by taking the guy in front of her with her onto the floor.

"Ushishishishi~"

Tsuna shuddered at the laugh. It was like Mukuro's Kufufu but Ushishi.

Where she was once sitting, was a knife that dug into the seat. Really.

"Fu- Knife brat, get out here."

"Ushishi~ the boss is angry~" said the 'Knife Brat.' A boy, roughly the same age as Gingerbread came out. He had blonde hair covering his eyes and wore a stripy shirt and black pants. Overall impression: creepy.

"Nice to meet you, principessa," he said.

"Um… nice to meet you too!" said Tsuna giving her infamous dazzling smile which shocked him that she would immediately accept him. "I'm Tsuna and who are you?"

"Japanese? Where did you learn Italian then? I am Prince Belphegor," he said, smirking. The two were ignoring the presence of the other person who immediately gave the 'prince' a swift knock to the head. Blood immediately started to run down the side of his head.

"Oi. You dare to spill my royal blood, boss?" asked Belphegor taking a dozen knives from nowhere. Tsuna, panicking, tried her best to make the situation better. She thought it was rather mean that this boss would attack his own friend or what every Belphegor was.

"Don't fight please! I don't like fighting!" said Tsuna, earning all attention on her. She ignored it and directed her own attention to the red eyed person. "Um, sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. My name is Tsuna and you are?"

"Xanxus."

"Ushishi, the boss is a bit shy, but that is who he is," said Belphegor who put away his knives. "And why are you here then?"

"Um… I sort of had to escape and I ended up here."

"Run away? Heh, weak."

"_Excuse me?" _said Tsuna as if deeply offended. Deep deep down, we all know she's just very sadistic. "But if you have some explosion behind you, would you face it on or escape? I wouldn't call escape runaway either. It's not like it was even a person."

The smirk was wiped off his face, but soon appeared again.

"Okay, principessa, you win. But then why is my boss not attacking you then?"

"I did attack her. She wasn't in a place _anyone _should be in, anyways," growled Xanxus as he finished up.

Tsuna looked at his handiwork. It was a bit sloppy but then that's because every cut and wound she had was treated by Elma or Reborn. It didn't seem like Xanxus often treated other people so she didn't really mind it.

"Hm, then where is Mammon? That person hasn't been around recently."

"That money bastard's doing something with the mafia jail people. She's probably counting money right now," said Xanxus.

"Um… do you mean Viper? She's like that sometimes, but I don't think she's _always _counting money," said Tsuna.

"Wait you know that bitch?"

"Oi, don't call Viper a… you know…" said Tsuna, frowning (pouting.) "Also, Bermuda, Jaeger, Small Gia and everyone else aren't just mafia jail people."

"What. You know them too? What are you? Are you a spy sent by them? Is that what you are?" asked Xanxus getting insecure again.

"NO! I'm just a kid they took in."

"Eh? So principessa is treasured by _the _Vindice?" said Belphegor rather amused.

"Well something like that. I treasure them," said Tsuna smiling.

_You'd think that, but we can't really find it possible for some kid to treasure scary ass Mafioso a few centuries old and so._

"But wouldn't this be a great chance? We can keep Tsuna and then the Vindice can panic~" said Belphegor. At first Xanxus was unsure. He knew what extents the Vindice could go to, but this was a good chance, seeing that the girl was unknowing to her real identity along with her ancestor.

Xanxus, agreeing with Belphegor, told Tsuna what she can do.

"You can stay here until you can go back."

"Um, but where exactly is 'here?'" asked Tsuna, "I saw the Vongola emblem but I don't think that this is the main mansion because there'd be more people, right?"

"Principessa is smart~ this is not the main mansion, but a branched off mansion. Vongola's special assassination squad, the Varia's mansion," explained Belphegor.

_Wouldn't this mansion be rather large for just a few people? It's not like there are any other people…_

Somewhere in the distance, they heard a shout. No. Not one of pain, more of one of anger.

"Ah, the shark's gone and done it again."

"Tch. I'll beat up that damn trash."

"You should go boss, I'll stay here with the principessa," said Belphegor, casually snaking his arm around her shoulders.

"Um… is it okay if I come too?" asked Tsuna, feeling rather uncomfortable with the body contact when it wasn't Gingerbread or someone she knew. "I want to meet these people." It wasn't because she wanted to meet other people but rather she doesn't want to stay in a room alone with some creepy self-proclaimed prince. Xanxus glanced at her, easily reading her expressions and then looked at the blonde (who is smiling) and nodded.

Tsuna got up and started to follow Xanxus as they started to journey through the mansion. Belphegor, closely following, merely stared at his boss with amusement.

As they approached a rather well lit hallway, they were well aware of the many shouts that came from on the rooms. The moment Xanxus opened the door a chair was thrown at him, which was instantly blasted to smithereens by a powerful surge of flames that Tsuna barely managed to witness. It was beautiful in a way.

The people in the room started to panic. The one who threw the chair, a silver haired teen, took a few steps back, as if expecting something to happen. Nothing happened, which was what surprised them. With this situation, all eyes went onto Tsuna who was semi-hiding behind Xanxus.

"Mouuuuu~ So CUTE!" exclaimed one teen. He had spiky green hair. And he was also the first person she had ever met who was gay. She actually thought well of the teen but she couldn't help but feel extremely disturbed. The following was why.

"Don't worry, darl, but I'm only into dead people, preferably men."

"Voi! Why is there a freakin' girl here?!" shouted the silver haired person. She recognised him as the one who had shouted earlier and was the reason they came to the current room they were in.

"Hmph. I agree with the shark," said another. He had strange spiked black spiked hair along with the beginning signs of facial hair.

"No one needs anyone like you to agree with anyone," said the silver haired who gave the black haired a drop kick to the head.

"… this is an assassination squad?"

"I know, we're very young, except the ugly one," said Belphegor gesturing to the black haired one.

"What are their names then?"

"Ahaha, well, the ugly one is Levi, gay one is Lussuria, the shark is Squalo and you know who boss and I are," he replied.

"Okay."

The fight that had been happening in the background with the others had stopped as they developed curiosity to the unknown person present.

"Um, hello, I'm Tsuna." She said as she waved to them. They were responding so she gave them her infamous smile only to blind them and make them freeze for a longer period of time.

"Must be dreaming. It's an angel," said the one called Squalo.

"Hm? But Squ-chan, she's pretty alive to me," said Lussuria. He put on his sunglasses. "Oh~ that's better."

"Um, I don't really know what you mean, but I'm alive. Nice to meet you," said Tsuna.

"Ugh, just ignore them," said Belphegor as he turned to look at Tsuna. "Well, we're on our way. The principessa should only spend time with the prince after all~"

With unbelievable force, Tsuna was dragged away by the blonde only to be stopped with the sound of a click, obviously from a gun.

"Where do you think you're going? I still need the kid."

Because it was the first time they had seen their boss to be possessive over something besides his food and drinks, it was very surprising for the young assassination squad.

The silent vibration of a phone alerted everyone. It was Xanxus' phone. At first he was hesitating to pick up the call but he did.

Everyone could hear what was being said.

"Oi, Tsuna is there with you right? Is she alright? Did you go and try kill her?!"

"Tch. She's fine."

"Huh, knowing you, you would have killed her on spot. Did she beat you or something?" Xanxus glanced at Tsuna.

"No, she's weak."

"…"

Tsuna sweat dropped. With that, she knew she was going to get more training and she swore that Reborn was listening in to the call.

"The bandaged people are going to pick her up later. Don't do anything silly until they leave _with _Tsuna," said Viper, making sure to emphasize her words.

"Tch." With that, Xanxus hung up the call and faced his subordinates. "You heard, don't do anything silly."

It was self-explanatory. Anything involving the Vindice was to be obeyed. A loud growl interrupted the awkward silence.

"Uh-sorry… I was just hungry. I mean I was on a mission and haven't eaten since," stated Tsuna, face turning a bit pink. Lussuria started to squeal over the kawaii-ness.

"That's fine, I can cook for you~" said Lussuria.

"Really? I don't really want to trouble you or anything…"

"It's okay, darl, you're our guest~"

"Then is it alright if I cook instead?" asked Tsuna, "I really don't want to trouble you."

The pleading look she made, made Lussuria coo over her and instantly let her cook. The pair left the room, Tsuna's eyes wavering as she looked at Xanxus' rather obvious stress that reflected in his eyes.

…

_Why?_

…

**I have a question for you. I'm not prying into your privacy, but I'm just curious. Are you, the reader, female or male?**

**I also am a lonely person on the internet. Is anyone willing to be my friend? XD LOL Let's be skype buddies.**

**Anyways, thank you, once again, for reading. If you want any more information about Archive of our Own, please ask. **


	14. Chapter 14 - Light Pollution

**Sorry for late update. A shout out to a year 7 in my school who likes my stories. Thank you very much!**

**Yea. I feel really bad for knowing how this is all gonna turn out. Well Light Pollution starts and ends this chapter. We'll get things serious now. The plot is going to begin.**

**That last chapter with 'Why?' I shall leave you to answer. **

**I have a new poll up about updates. It's up in my profile.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR. AND THIS CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE SHORT. SORRY.**

…

Tsuna was safe and was returned to the Vindice mansion without fuss. Okay not really. It required the Varia to trust the Arcobaleno who came to pick up Tsuna at the mansion and it also required Tsuna to make sure she had to return to visit some other time _without _the Arcobaleno's company. Xanxus seemed pissed off when the Arcobaleno came into sight and Belphegor was rather clingy.

"It's because you're our principessa now~" said Belphegor.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're supposed to stay with us forever and strong like the Varia," replied Belphegor.

_Forever, huh… _thought Tsuna grimacing a bit.

"I'll visit another time, okay?" said Tsuna.

"Who said you would visit another time?" asked Viper.

"Oh it's you, Mammon, or do you prefer Viper?"

"Don't be rude Viper-nee," said Tsuna.

"Nee? What does that mean?" asked Belphegor now intrigued.

"It means- mmfh!" Tsuna's mouth was covered by Viper's hand. Telepathically, Viper told Tsuna that the Varia were unknowing to her gender and said it was not time yet. Tsuna nodded and then Viper took her hand away from Tsuna's mouth.

"It means elder sibling!" said Tsuna with a smile to convince the prince.

"Oh? Okay."

"It is time to go Tsuna."

"Mou… okay. Bye bii Belphegor!" smiled Tsuna waving.

…

Tsuna felt really happy for meeting the Varia. Something about them told her she would seem them soon. The moment she stepped into the mansion something felt off. There was nothing wrong with it, but there was something missing. She couldn't think of anything to be missing. Everyone was there, and no one else had infiltrated the mansion either, so what was missing?

Room by room, she checked. Her guardians were worried of her behaviour.

She finally went to the room she was told where Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa were staying to find no one there.

"O-oi, where did they go?"

Looking around for any clues there was a hastily written letter.

_To whoever. _

_We have gone to Japan. Someone has called for my assistance. Say sorry to Tsuna for me. We are thankful to her for saving us._

_Mukuro._

_Ken._

_Chikusa._

"Japan?"

…

"Luce, do you know anything of this?" asked Reborn as the older teen paced the room.

"I didn't think that they'd leave so soon. But we shouldn't worry too much," said Luce. There was a small knock on the door.

"Um, can I come in?"

"Sure Tsuna," said Luce smiling as the girl came inside.

"Do you know the reason why Mukuro and the others weren't to Japan?" asked Tsuna.

"Well I'm sure that's what we all want to know," replied Luce. "Someone had called him for his assistance. I was babysitting when they were sleeping and it seemed like Mukuro was having some sort of dream as if he was talking to someone. He soon woke up and told me that it was okay and should get my own rest. I didn't think he'd just disappear and go to Japan."

"So he's going to Japan to help someone right?"

"That's true."

"Sorry to interrupt but how can one have a dream and then act on influence and leave?" asked Reborn.

"It's like this. Take it that you have your own space in your own mind, yes?" started Luce and confirming any thoughts, "now we take this space and someone who is compatible with this space, can enter and leave as they please. So you can share this space with this person. You can converse with them, literally do anything you want because it is your space."

"And?"

"AND this space is literally your mind, it isn't just a figment of your imagination. I assume that someone had stumbled across Mukuro's mind and called for help," concluded Luce.

"Did Viper-nee tell you this?" said Tsuna. The older girl faced Tsuna and nodded.

"Viper also said that Mukuro was an illusionist who may actually surpass her in the future. WE never know, but it seems like she is interested in him and wants the boy to harness his powers to grow it and control it."

"I just thought of something…" said tsuna. "Where's Viper?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Go check the kitchen. She said something about getting food."

"Okay." And then she was off. An emerging figure alerted the two.

"Bermuda…" muttered Reborn.

"Something is going to happen again. What is it, Luce?" asked Bermuda not heeding Reborn.

"…"

"What is this about, Luce?" demanded Reborn.

"I-It's Checkerface."

…

"Viper-nee!" called out Tsuna.

"Hm?"

"Do that thing where you sneeze and find where someone is. Look for Mukuro!" said Tsuna.

"I've already done that." Viper pulled out a paper where it showed a close up of a part of Japan.

"Where is this?"

"There's something called Light Pollution," said Viper going off topic. "When you go outside, you can see all the stars, yes?" Tsuna nodded. "But sometimes, you can't see the stars because there are too many lights especially like in a city. If you can' see those stars, those stars can't see you. My thoughtography is a bit like those stars, but they can still see. It's just a bit blurry."

"So you can't see the exact location?" asked Tsuna.

"Yes."

"Oh…"

"I'll be going to Japan next morning," announced Viper.

"EH?!"

"And before you ask, no, you cannot come with me. It's far too dangerous and I don't believe that you want to go to Japan."

"Aw…" Tsuna whined a bit but then she gave it real thought. She actually didn't want to go anywhere near japan. Not when that so called _family _was there.

"My flight will be leaving next morning. The time I get up will be the ungodly hours before sunrise. I don't think you'll be awake then," said Viper.

"That's true…"

Viper held the girl's hand protectively. "I'll come back safe. Besides I'm going to go train that kid whether he likes it or not. I'll see you again. Goodnight Tsuna."

"Goodnight Viper and… come back soon," said Tsuna.

…

The fact that one of the Arcobaleno had already separated was rather unsettling in the Vindice manor. It was known that one by one, the Arcobaleno would have to start leaving and go their own way before it was 'time.'

The fact that this Checkerface was going to take action was going to befall them. Little did they know how much this would separate the entire 'family' they made with the Arcobaleno, Vindice, Gingerbread and Tsuna.

The fact that everything would change with one simple thing dawned upon everyone and it terrified them to the soul.

…

**I know this is short, it's meant to be short. Light Pollution is an actual thing and I feel a bit sad that I no long can see any stars at night but I can still see the fucking bright ass mother fucking moon which shines directly onto my pillow where I try to REST IN PEACE. Okay not really, but seriously, the moon is one bright thing at night.**

**Thank you for reading and supporting this so far, and I'll see you next time.**

**Zaira Swift.**


	15. Chapter 15 - Undo Part 1

**I'm back, been a bit sad. Many things happened. Thirst is enjoyable to write but I can't forget about the other stories I have or I'm going to end up discontinuing stories again.**

**This is the beginning of UNDO. I don't think I've done the best I can with this chapter. I'm sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR. **

…

"Hey Gingerbread," started Tsuna, "what does it mean to be a bitch?"

There was silence. The boy slowly got up from his previously seated position. "And why do you ask?"

"I was on the phone with the Varia but I don't get why you would call someone a female dog…" pouted Tsuna.

_I swear I will kill those shi-_

"Is it a swear word?" deduced Tsuna.

"More or less," replied Gingerbread with a forced smile.

"Oh. Then I'll make sure not to say it then~"

…

"Ah, Tsuna."

"Yes?"

"I've been working on something and I would like you give it a go," said Verde as he pulled out a small box.

"What is it?" asked Tsuna in excitement. Whenever Verde made something, it would always be beyond her expectations. Whether that was a good thing or not, it still surprised Tsuna.

"I just finished making some touch-ups, but I don't think it'll be used until much later since I don't have enough… experiment results," replied Verde as he handed the girl the box. "Do you mind if you just let out a little flame?"

"Okay."

"Now feed it to the hole in the box." Tsuna followed the scientist's instructions and let her flames seep into the box. The box glowed and opened, revealing a packet of biscuits.

"Oh it worked. Also, don't eat those. They are made up of things that you aren't supposed to eat," said Verde walking away leaving the biscuits with her.

…

Tsuna wasn't sure what to do. There really wasn't much to do. Gingerbread was paying a visit to the Varia without her because he said that he had "personal business" with them with a rather scary face.

The Vendice had been rather restless and had been guarding the mansion. Even the Arcobaleno had been constantly moving about. The only times they'd meet would be at random points throughout the day when they were looking for each other or when they decided to go to the kitchen for some food.

She was a bit depressed that no one was around and it was lonely. She disliked being alone with nothing to do. That's when she saw the flash of blonde hair across the hallway. Rushing up to the person, she quickly caught up in a huff.

"Colonello!" she exclaimed with a smile. He was sweating. Not from the brutal exercise from Lal but because he was found by Tsuna. "So…. Why is everyone so busy?"

"Well… ah, kora, give me a break," said Colonello, "it's better if you ask Bermuda or Luce."

"Then what have you been doing?" asked Tsuna with a smile as if she head shot someone in a game. I mean what.

"U-uh… I gotta go now…"

_I'll let him go for now,_ thought Tsuna as she grinned at the blonde's quick retreat.

…

***Knock***

"Come in," said Luce, as she put her book down that she was reading. It was only morning and it wasn't like she had much to do.

Tsuna came into the room with a big smile on her face. She went up to Luce and gave her a hug and a packet of chips. Luce sighed as she took the snack. Looks like more exercise.

"Is something wrong?" asked Luce.

"Well, everyone has been busy and I was wondering why," said Tsuna as she sat beside her. Although the lounge was usually where everyone gathered, they established that they should start to allow people their own privacy despite the abundance of rooms in the Vendice manor.

"Oh. And you want me to tell you?" Tsuna nodded. "Hm. I know you really want to know and it does concern you after all."

Before Luce could continue, she froze up a blank expression on her face. Tsuna, instantly worried, knew that she was having a vision. It wasn't a great time to be having one either considering that everyone was busy. So, Tsuna called for Bermuda.

"What's wrong?" he asked until he saw Luce. The portal he came through was re-opened by Elma, who was curious about what was happening.

Bermuda rushed over to Luce who was still frozen and not blinking at all.

"Take her to her room," he said. Elma nodded as she carefully picked up the teen and pulled her through the portal with Tsuna following closely, leaving Bermuda to alert the Arcobaleno.

…

_An hour later…_

"She's not in danger however we have to be cautious," said Elma as she came out of Luce's room.

"Is she okay?" asked Fon who was leaning against the wall.

"She's having a vision," said Bermuda who emerged from Luce's room, "more like, she _had_ a vision."

"So is she recovering from the vision then?" asked Colonello. Lal elbowed him.

"She had a vision, stupid, of course she is recovering from it," said Lal stating the obvious.

"Do you require any of our help?" asked Verde. Bermuda shook his head. "Well time _has_ passed so I assume you don't need any help, for now…"

"The one who would have been the most useful would be Viper, however… as you all know, she is not here."

"What do you mean by that?" said an echo-y voice. All of the Arcobaleno and Vendice faced the figure that appeared. "I'm here."

"Wha- how?!" exclaimed Small Gia.

"Shut up," said Alejandro.

[She is merely an illusion, but she is here.] Said Big Pino.

"Hmm." Jaeger inspected the illusion of Viper and merely nodded and returned to his position beside Bermuda.

Lotterio returned from the kitchen with a fresh jug of water.

"Hurry up with it. It takes a lot of energy to do this," said Viper.

"What do you mean by that?" said a new voice.

"Argh, you brat. Shut up and focus on your current task."

"Who was that?"

"Mukuro. I was training him when I happened to hear about Luce's condition."

"You're welcome," said Reborn.

"I'll be sure to take off some of the debt piling up."

Viper walked through the Vendice in the way of the Luce's room and went through the door. She's an illusion of course she can do that. She found Luce sitting up on the bed. Cosmo, the squirrel of course, was beside her as if wondering what was going on.

"Luce. Breathe deeply for a few times," said Viper as if she was in business only mode. Luce obeyed. Viper put her hand to her forehead only for sky flames to burst out. Barely missing the sudden burst of flames, Viper could only hold onto her hands. There was a certain calming element as a mist, different to the rain's, but it more focused on the calming of the mental state. Luce had already passed the worst bit of having the vision. The aftermath wasn't that nice, so Viper was usually there to help.

"It's Checkerface," finally said Luce. She looked up, showing the fear and determination in her eyes. "It's time."

"Must I return?" asked Viper. Luce hesitated and then nodded. Viper disappeared and dispersed like mist.

…

The Arcobaleno all waited nervously. Viper had already returned. Her flight, originally taking 12 hours, only took 10. Tsuna had a headache and was sent off to go rest, although rather unwillingly. Luce emerged from her room late at night.

"It seems that it is time we have to acknowledge that we are the Arcobaleno."

"I am against this," interfered Bermuda.

"We can't escape the fact we are Arcobaleno! I don't even understand how we were able to qualify being the strongest 7, even though I admit I am strong," said Colonello, earning him a wack from Lal.

"Colonello, it's me, not you," said Lal, "remember that you are only here so I can continue to teach you what I know before I become this **Arcobaleno.**"

"But-"

"**Silence.**" Colonello backed down. "It is known that you cannot escape that sly Checkerface and his plans for _fate _but the Fated Day that Luce will speak to you about is not the beginning. However, the end, I can say, is what made the Vendice into what we are. The others… were no so fortunate."

There was only Jaeger present amongst the Vendice. The rest had already been informed and were told not to interrupt. As right-hand, it was obvious that Jaeger would be there.

"As Bermuda mentioned, the Fated Day drawing in close. It was originally planned that we would not ever meet until this Fated Day," explained Luce, "however we happen to all be here together, are we not?"

The teenagers acknowledged this fact and moved on.

"I wish that whatever happens on that day, we will continue to still have what I define as a family," said Luce making sure that everyone understood what she meant by family. "Bermuda, something tells me that this time, it won't leave you out of the Fated Day."

Bermuda nodded.

"And, how close is the Fated Day?" asked Reborn.

"…" Silence.

Reborn clicked his tongue pulling his fedora down to cover his eyes and left the room.

"Luce… when is the Fated Day?" asked Skull, already sweating. He may not be the closest to Reborn, but he knew that whenever he acted like that, something _really _bad was going to happen.

The quiet sound of the clock going off at 12am was the only thing heard. And in a weak voice, Luce replied, "It's today, Skull… It's today."

…

It did not seem like there was much known to the world about the 'new and official' Arcobaleno. They kept it like that. Everyone was sent to their own room to think to themselves, reflect on their 16-17 years of life and what had happened.

Bermuda. His job was to strip the previous Arcobaleno from their title. He did not feel any emotion whether they would not handle the stress of having the Arcobaleno title taken away from them, but he wasn't so void of emotion now. Tsuna had managed to creep onto him, with her bright smiles and yet dark past, he could only grimly smile as he kept up his job.

The light of dawn was already dusting the sky with deep shades of red and orange and the Arcobaleno had already decided on one thing. To leave before it was too late, return when it is time and to never forget what they held as a family in the Vendice Manor.

It was already too late to leave. They would be leaving precious 'family members,' disciples and associates behind. There would never be a chance to return as if nothing had never happened in the first place, and little did they know that, they would never be able to remember what they had before becoming, the Arcobaleno.

…

That day, Tsuna awoke in fright and panic. Both she and Gingerbread were together, Gingerbread doing his best to calm her. By the time they had confirmed what had happened, it was all too late. Luce, Reborn, Colonello, Lal, Viper, Verde, Skull, Fon, Bermuda. They were gone.

…

**Okay. I didn't even expect that myself. **

**UNDO will be continued soon (most likely not considering the slow shit I am.)**

**Thank you for reading.**

**Zaira Swift.**


	16. Chapter 16 - Undo Part END

**IMPORTANT:**

**I have recently started a new story called The Little Obsession. It is a ****collab**** between Shuutikane and I, and the story is posted on ****Shuutikane****'s profile. I would really like you to just take a look as I will be working on it for quite some time thus updates will be delayed.**

Summary: _Giotto likes strawberry shortcake. Now, everyone likes strawberry shortcake. Humour/Family_

**The story is about all the Vongola Generation Bosses with their obsession with strawberry shortcake and later on, more characters will get involved. We have planned out all the Vongola Bosses, and would like you to have a good laugh as you read it, thank you.**

…

**Back to One Leader, guest reviews will be after the chapter, at the bottom. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

…

The one in which _should_ have returned was Bermuda, but the day after that he had still not returned. They thought that perhaps it would be a long distance he was travelling but their hopes did not keep up as Bermuda did not return the next day after that.

Bermuda was the leader of _the _Vindice. He was the one who made sure that none of the Vindice would run out of flames, as the Vindice were merely vessels of power now after being stripped of the Arcobaleno title. They would not be able to use portals to travel around, and were not as fast to respond before.

"Tsuna," said Jaeger. The girl looked up at him with a rather impatient expression. "Is there anything you wish to say?"

"I was thinking that… if Bermuda doesn't return… can't I supply the flames instead?" she then hesitated. "It doesn't seem like I would ever require a need for the flames. I mean it's useful… but you all need it more than me."

"Are you saying that, you would like to give away your night flames?"

"It's more beneficial to everyone than me." It was a plausible and considerate idea. The risks of being a human having the flames were that the flames would accumulate from the hatred or their feeling of 'darkness' which could pose fatal to a human. It was not like she was completed eradicating the existence of her flames. She had her own flames that she was born with - the pure sky flames.

"Would you know how long it would last for? Your night flame is not as strong as Bermuda's."

"But Bermuda gives you a portion of his each time and constantly. So wouldn't there be a difference between him giving you fractions of his flames to me giving all of it?" replied Tsuna. Jaeger sighed. Sometimes the girl was pretty smart.

"Well we don't know until we try."

…

It was a simple process. The Vindice would only need to be exposed to the night flames. If Tsuna would continuously keep the night flame alight, the Vindice would be able to convert that flame to theirs. This process would not tire her, as it was not to deplete her primary flame of the sky.

As they started, the Vindice felt the seeping energy replenish them. It wouldn't last any more than a week, but if they limited their movements, it would last a month. A long hour later, Tsuna was finished. Although her limit of flames may seem bottomless, she had given away the last bit of her night flames. Over the course of the years, she was happy being with her 'family.' She treasured that fact and during this time, the intensity of her night flame had gone down, almost rendering useless to her besides the portals. Because, portals. It's a great thing.

Later that day, Alejandro and Big Pino had managed to round a report on mafia activity.

"Ever since _that _day, it seems that there has been no trouble in the underground." It was rare for this to happen, but it has happened before. If such behaviour of the Mafioso would continue, the Vindice could lessen their need of using their flames.

"The Vongola Famiglia have started to make their move however," continued Alejandro, "I do not think they are fully aware of the situation, however they have enough connections to know part of the story."

"And what can we do?" asked Small Gia.

[It seems that the Varia realised the disappearance of Mammon. They do not know what has happened and has raised suspicions to the Vongola.]

"Those stupid teenagers," growled Elma. "We should pay a visit to them some time before they decide to come here."

"… Please don't…" said Lotterio.

"It's normal to be worried for your comrades though," said Tsuna with a smile. "It doesn't seem like it, but that's what the Varia is currently doing. They are worried about Viper."

Alejandro coughed to return the attention back on him.

"The good news is that, we have sensed a strong power appear." He paused. "We suspect that it is Bermuda as no one knows of the existence of 'night flames' thus no one has sensed this power."

"If he did return, then we would have sensed it," said Jaeger as he stood up.

"That is we doubt whether he has or has not returned. It's highly possible he is hiding his presence, although we do not know why. We are still sure that this power we had sensed is his and no other."

The room fell silent.

"Is it because he cannot return?" asked Tsuna. With nothing being impossible, anything could have happened. "Maybe something happened to them that day which made them unable to return…"

After they finished discussing, Gingerbread and Tsuna, the two could not think of anything better to do, so they played hide and seek. It would keep their spirits up, despite the current situation the whole manor was in.

Tsuna, being the hider, sneaked through one of the secret tunnels that she found long ago. As she passed through the last of the tunnel, she came across the great hallway where she predicted she would meet up with Gingerbread. With a smile, she dashed down the hallway and slowed down, ignoring the creeping sense of coldness. She came to a stop when she saw a figure.

"Gingerbread, I'm here~ hehe," she called out with a wave getting ready to run. The figure suddenly became clearer and stood out of the shadows. From a far distance, the person sure looked tall, but this person was not even as tall as her.

In front of her, was a child, rather than that, an infant whose height barely reached her knees.

"Um… are you a visitor?" she asked with a smile. The infant, although she could not see his eyes, glared at her coldly.

"W**ho are you?**" he asked. The voice was familiar. Not familiar, but she knew who it was. Tsuna started to tremble. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I live here…" replied Tsuna, not wanting to believe who it was.

"_No one _lives here, especially a child. I will repeat once again, _**Who are you**__?_" he asked.

"Tsuna~ I found you~" said Gingerbread as he put his hands on Tsuna's shoulders, frightening her at the same time. "Oh? Who are you talking-" He snapped his attention to the figure in front of them and Tsuna still shaking.

"Oh? Look who returned~ Welcome back Bermuda!" he said with a smile, "You sure changed a lot."

There was silence. No one spoke. Gingerbread, still confused calmly asked Tsuna to explain.

"Gingerbread…" she started, "he doesn't remember us…"

…

Despite the confusion, 'Bermuda' had been lead towards the rest of the Vindice. Each and every one of them were surprised that the, now, infant did not recognise Tsuna or Gingerbread – at least a living and independent Gingerbread.

"The human child cannot stay," said Bermuda. The Vindice could not fight back. Bermuda was their leader. To disobey him was basically suicide, although they are unable to die. They would be thrown away so simply that it would have been meaningless to continue living from before they became the 'Vindice.'

Tsuna, anxious of Bermuda's decision, grew stressed. She was being forced out of the home that had finally accepted her. Was this merely a repeat of what happened to her, back then?

"You can't force her out when she literally grew up here!" shouted Gingerbread. Alejandro instantly took action, silencing him.

"Perhaps she should return to the family she had before. I do not see why she had not treasured them when she still has a blood related family."

"Bermuda, I cannot make you sway your decision, but for a child to have been tortured by her own parents and fallen into despair that she even managed to muster up her own night flames, do you still believe that she would even bother to _think _about her blood related family?" said Elma.

"**Silence." **Bermuda looked around. "She is still _living and breathing. _I do not know what has happened but it does seem like Checker Face doesn't really matter to you all. Or have you forgotten what he has done to you all?"

[We have not forgotten.] Bermuda was taken aback when Big Pino used a sign and pen to communicate to him. [Yet I have gained something rather valuable after her arrival, as you can see.]

"I will not tolerate such refusal. Have you all become blind to troubles that have befallen you? I could throw every one of you away-"

"STOP!" cried Tsuna. "I-If my presence troubles you that much, I'll leave. However once I leave, I beg you not to insult my family."

"What family do you speak of, child?" he asked. Tsuna looked up at the Vindice. They looked at her with sorrow and anxiety. They held no power and she knew just how powerful and how much the Vindice needed Bermuda. Tsuna sighed and held back her tears.

"Please do not speak ill of them," she replied. "I will leave as you want me to." And she left the room. Gingerbread, wanting to follow after her, was, once again, held back by Alejandro.

…

The following day, all of Tsuna's belongings had disappeared. Extra clothes remained along with an umbrella, magician's robe, hat and swords. A lion toy and the laptop that once was on her bedroom table were no long there, however, what was left behind was an old fashioned key.

…

_Undo_

_The action of cancelling or reversing the effects of results of (a previous action or measure.)_

6 years ago, a little girl was taken in by a man of indescribable power and mystery. There have been many bumps in their journey and had suddenly hit a dead end. With no choice left, they had to go back.

6 years ago, a little girl was blessed with a place she could call home, and people to call family. During this time, she was able to create unbreakable bonds between everyone, or so she thought.

6 years ago, a little girl was given a new beginning after a life of despair. Now, she has to start again. With no one able to help her and nowhere to return. She had no choice but to go back to the place where all her miseries began.

6 years ago, an unsuspecting group had been given a child to cherish and smile with. But now, she is gone.

6 years has just been undone by the man who started it all himself.

…

**Thank you for reading. Please check out ****The Small Obsession**** [uploaded by Shuutikane] as I will be working on it for quite some time with her.**

**Zaira Swift.**

_**Guest Reviews:**_

**Guest (chapter 16): Thank you very much and I hope you enjoyed this update!**


	17. Chapter 17 - Platinum Part 1

**Guest Reviews at the end of the chapter. **

**I mean no offence to anyone, should they relate themselves to this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR (You get the idea.)**

…

Many would think that having a smaller family is more convenient. It would be easier to take care of one child and when the parents are asked which child was their favourite, they would, obviously, pick the one and only they have. However, in the Sawada family, it was certified that they have 2 biological children, although one has been missing. The existence of the other child died out as time passed on. There wasn't much known about that child either, so, at this current moment of time, no one knew about her. The family, perhaps already had forgotten that child.

The Sawada family consisted of their precious son, working father and zealous mother. The son, Ieyasu, was known to be very popular at his school - his grades, only a bit over average but many teachers dismiss that. He was excellent in sporting activities and took up soccer and basketball and aided the teams towards victory every time. Of course, he has his own romantic relationships and has had his eyes on Kyoko, the school's female idol. He is loved by his parents, some could say he is spoilt but he was known as too well of a character so it was never brought up as a negative. His personality was sociable, reliable and optimistic, always listening to everyone's problems.

The mother, Nana, was a warm and welcoming parent. Often asking her son about school and saying how proud she was of her son were common and making grand meals for every achievement he shares. Her food is well known amongst the town as delicious and inviting, as if a part of her family. She was kind and mindful of her words. No one has ever seen her angry. She compliments everyone, although she could be quite judging. Seen outside of her house going shopping, she is rather delicate and would not hold any sort of power should she ever be robbed or attacked.

The father, Iemitsu, was rarely seen. He worked far from home, overseas, as a miner. Well, that's what they all think at least. For the few times people have seen him, he is often fooling around with his son, having special father and son moments. He treasures his wife and his son as if he would die without them. Usually, he is capable of being independent but when he returns home, he likes to lounge about, drink or eat.

The Sawada family was, more or less, the perfect family.

…

"Ya-kun, breakfast is ready! You're going to be late if you sleep any longer!" shouted Nana as her son stirred from his sleep. He shot up and glanced at the alarm clock.

"Shit I'm gonna be late." He quickly got dressed and head downstairs to eat.

"You know, I got in the mail a letter saying your father hired you a tutor."

"A tutor? I don't need one."

"It said that he would come over today," she continued.

"It's a scam probably. You can't always think that whatever includes dad's name would be true." As if on que, the doorbell rang. Ieyasu went to answer it.

He opened the door and didn't see anyone in sight. _Nasty fuckers, doing ring and run, _he thought.

"Ciaossu, I'm not a nasty fucker doing ring and run, Baka-Ieyasu." He looked down at his feet where an extremely short man, or should we say, baby in a suit and fedora with a weird reptilian thing.

"Wha-what's a baby doing here?"

"I am not a baby, I am the world's greatest hitman," it said. The baby kicked him in the shin. "I am not an _it _as well."

_Why is this baby so fucking strong?_

"Mum, there's some weird baby. I think he's lost." He looked back to where the baby once was only to find him already inside.

"Oh, what a cute baby!" Nana was already fawning over him.

"Ciaossu, I am your son's tutor and I will raise him to a respectable boss!"

"What is he talking-"

"You're the tutor that Iemitsu talked about, of course!" said Nana. "So what's your name, Mr Tutor?"

"My name is Reborn."

…

The fee for this tutor's stay was just an accommodation and food. He would have to stay in Ieyasu's strangely large sized room. Right now, they were going to school.

"So what are you supposed to do?" asked Ieyasu.

"I am going to train you to become the Vongola Family's next boss," he said in all seriousness.

"What's the Vongola Family?"

"The Vongola Family is one of the most powerful and oldest mafia families in Italy, which is why my job in making you the 10th boss, Vongola Decimo, is the utmost importance," said Reborn. "And if you don't comply, then you'll eventually be killed since you currently are no match for an average hitman."

"How do I know if you're not lying?"

"Ask your father."

"Why isn't my father the next boss then?"

"He's the leader of CEDEF which is linked to the Vongola but not a part of its main forces. He's like a sub-leader."

"Wouldn't there be more candidates if so? Shouldn't the current boss have like children or grandchildren?" questioned Ieyasu.

"You're pretty logical."

_Well it's kinda obvious._

"When I compliment you, you should take it," said Reborn, then, to promptly kick in the back making him stumble forwards. "The candidates have either died or been assassinated." He then showed him rather gory pictures of the deaths and corpses.

"You don't need to fucking show me the _images, _just telling me is already good enough!"

"We'll have to fix your language." Just as they rounded the next corner, they bumped into a honey brown haired girl. She courteously greeted them both.

"Is this your little brother? What's his name? My name is Kyoko." she asked. A light blush appeared across his face as she came closer to him.

"Um… he's actually a… really distant cousin!"

"No I am your tutor," said Reborn and pinched Ieyasu who yelped at the sudden pain. "My name is Reborn."

"Why do you wear a suit?" she asked.

"Because I am a professional hitman." The girl giggled, completely ignoring what he just said.

"I better get going or the bell's going to go!" announced the girl. She left - Reborn and Ieyasu now alone.

"… Aren't you going to confess?" asked Reborn.

"What? No way. I don't really like her that way," replied Ieyasu with a blush._ Why does the fucking baby always know?_

"Oh?" Reborn smirked. "Why don't you confess now?"

"What no-"

Before he could react, Reborn's weird lizard thing transformed into a gun and then he pulled the trigger. "Then die."

He lay still for a few moments on the ground and then stood back onto his feet without any use of his hands, his clothes tearing off in the process, only to leave him in his black boxers. A blazing orange flame appeared on his forehead. With inhuman speed, he rushed off after the girl.

Reborn, able to magically get from place to place, arrived at school to witness the scenario play out before him. It was funny overall.

"Kyoko! PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!" The girl's face instantly turned bright red. It was quite easy to figure out that the girl liked him. She must have been shocked considering Ieyasu _was _in his underwear.

Some of the girls there were taking pictures of their idol half naked, some starting to develop jealousy. The boys were either cheering him on or angry that their idol was going to be taken away.

The girl's eyes trailed down from his face to his chest and forming abs then the boxers, her face turning beetroot red. Only thing left to do was to, of course, run away. The flame dissipated, reverted him back to his usual state. Confused, he wondered why everyone was staring at him and then looked down at himself where he was half naked. He became flustered and quickly ran off to find a spare uniform.

No one dared to oppose him. Whether they wanted their female or male idol to belong to 'everyone,' the two were declared a couple, that day onwards. Not even the great Mochida would dare. (He'll get his own segment one day.)

…

At first he was reluctant to share his thoughts with anyone. As he was cleaning up the field after the short practice, he spotted a well-known figure.

"Hey Sawada-san!" he called out.

"What's up Yamamoto?" The two weren't particularly familiar with each other, but seeing that both of them were rather popular and strong in the sporting areas, they talked every now and then.

"Um, is it okay if you give me some advice?"

_You're kind of wasting my time. _"Sure."

"Recently my baseball has been in a slump. My team mates have been pretty unhappy about that, so what should I do?"

"Put it this way. If I were in a slump in soccer or basketball and feeling stressed, I'd take out my stress on something," _or someone. _"If you really think it is necessary, you can practise more, but you're the best at baseball. Do you really think you need to?" _Like, if you were the best at the sports I am doing, then it'd be a different story._

"Huh. Well… it's an interesting way to put it," Yamamoto trailed off. "Thanks either way."

_He's one of the suicidal fucks isn't he. _"You're welcome."

Yamamoto watched as Ieyasu walked off. He smiled to himself. He's a nice person. That's what he thought.

It was soon found the following day that he had been struggling both emotionally and physically. His arm broke from the excessive amount of practice he did to keep up to his coach's and team mates' expectations. He went to the point where he would suicide at school.

"He would be a very strong asset to the family," stated Reborn. "So you better save him or we are going to lose him forever."

_Does he know what I think? Probably reads minds or some shit… gotta be careful then. _Ieyasu smiled. "Why would I save him? If he is a strong asset to the family as you say then I am going to save him… whether he will or not be strong."

Reborn looked at him sceptically. There were times where he was unable to understand what he was thinking about. Since his arrival, it seems that he was trying to hide what he was thinking. He would have his ways sooner or later. Frowning, Reborn thought back to when he originally explained to Ieyasu about the Vongola Famiglia. Yes, he knew it was a mafia family, but he didn't expect him to accept so easily. He was a rather strong candidate to become the next boss, although he wasn't considered until the other candidates, unfortunately, passed away.

Yamamoto stared at Ieyasu as he pulled him up from the side of the building. He couldn't even express his gratitude and burst into tears but there was something contradicting to Ieyasu's facial expression when he was willing to pull him up. He's a heavy guy, so that was probably why.

…

It was a rather precocious idea for the girl to pursue him. Well he _was _abusing infant. Not really, but she felt it was injustice to see him try and harm a baby. Confronting was the least of her worries, fighting him on the other hand was pretty reckless of her.

_What the fuck does this bitch want. Her fucking 'ha-hi' makes me want to crush her face in._

"Um, who are you?" asked Ieyasu.

"I-I am Haru desu!" She readied herself to attack him. She was dressed in a sort of armour consisting of random metal plates and a bucket. "T-This is pretty heavy desu…"

_Well of course it is. No shit woman. _"What's wrong?" he asked with a concerned smile.

"Y-you… You have been abusing children and I want to stop that!"

"You mean Reborn?" _That isn't a little kid. Don't delve yourself into someone else's business bitch._

"Reborn? That's his name, huh. I am going to stop you from hurting him!" As she finished her little heroic whims, she charged only for Ieyasu to dodge easily. This continued for a few rounds.

_When is she going to give up? _He growled.

"I won't… *huff* give up!" Using up the last of her strength, she rushed forward, onto for him to side step out of the way. She toppled over, losing her balance and went off the edge of the bridge. Only realising what had happened, she began to cry for help. With the heavy metal in her way, she couldn't surface or swim.

"What are you hesitating for?" asked Reborn, coming into view. "Go die another time."

Once again, before he could react, Ieyasu slumped then, as if being born, a flame lit up on his forehead and his outer clothes tore off.

"I WILL SAVE HER WITH MY DYING WILL!" he shouted as he dived off the bridge. Swimming wasn't one of his strongest points, but at least he knew how to. He went under and kicked with the water's tide to get closer to the drifting and drowning girl. Removing a few of the metal plates in the way, he pulled the girl out of the costume of metal.

He took her to the side, the flame on his head dying out. She did not wake up, so obviously he'd have to resort to CPR. He shuddered. As he was about to press his lips onto hers, she opened her eyes.

"I'm terribly sorry! I thought you were a bad guy!" she cried. She looked up at him with a blush. "Were you about to…"

She stood up and announced to him, "I will be your girlfriend whoever you are!"

"My name is Sawada Ieyasu." He grimaced. This woman really pissed him off.

"I will be your girlfriend, Ieyasu!" And then she was off.

"She can be a possible bride in the future," stated Reborn. A dark expression showed up on Ieyasu's face for a millisecond. Whether or not it was an illusion, Reborn did not miss it.

…

**I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading. As you can see, things are different.**

**School's soon Damnit.**

**Guest Reviews-**

Guest: Yes, poor Tsu-chan. I'll keep writing since this story got itself planned out.

StaringStars: Tsuna was almost 13 years old in the previous chapters and was taken in when she was 6. So pretty much 6 years passed. If I made any mistakes or confused you, please tell me.

**Zaira Swift.**


	18. Chapter 18 - Platinum Part 2

**Oh man, thank you everyone for over 100 reviews! XD **

**As always, guest reviews at the end of the chapter. You're free to ask any questions and have any opinion of this.**

…

_**The timeline picks up some pace because the silverette never arrives.**_

…

Reborn was confused. He had contacted Hurricane Bomb Hayato the previous week and every day following, but not once had he received a reply or a sign of agreement. He dismissed this as he was most likely busy with his current situation of whatever it was. Either way, the appearance of the Bovino brat was uncalled for.

Ieyasu held back the curses threatening to slip from his mouth as the cow nuisance trashed his room. He was not in the slightest, worried about the child as it flew out of his bedroom when Reborn flung the kid away. Next minute, Nana had allowed the child to stay at the Sawada residence and invited him to the 'family.' Ieyasu frowned. Was he not the power play in the household? Ever since the hitman baby had arrived everything was simply messed up.

Throughout the school day, he had been confronted by Kyoko's elder brother, Ryohei, who wouldn't stop with his shouting, boxing and 'extremeness.' Although the day had been long, he had managed to get through it with a dying will bullet and 'tutoring' from Reborn. He had a pink haired woman barge into his home and claim 'her Reborn' and deem him as some rival in love as he was in Reborn's company. The mess had been cleared up when she was informed that her half-brother had not yet arrived at the household. The woman, named Bianchi, had evaluated Ieyasu and ever so graciously tested her cooking on Ieyasu who simply despised her for that. After listening to the tales of Bianchi and her younger brother's encounters, he somewhat empathised with the younger sibling for all the poison cooking he would have had put up with. However, he was not looking forward to meeting him.

Following Bianchi's arrival was a pervert with the name, Shamal. He specialised in medicine and mosquitos, which Ieyasu found contradicting as mosquitos were known for the spread of disease and medicine to help cure diseases. Shamal, or should he have said, Dr Shamal, had bounced from woman to woman, and even dared to make a move on a married woman, aka Nana. However, he had to be somewhat indebted to him as he did manage to cure his Skullitis shit which spewed out a bit more than he was comfortable with. He closed his eyes, both mentally and physically drained after he replayed the recent events in his mind.

Everything seemed to happen all at the same time, as if something had caused time to have sped up. It took time to process all the events.

He laid on his bed; dared not to make a single sound as the Arcobaleno slept in the corner of his room. Considering his choices, he weighed the outcomes of going through Reborn's _vigorous _training without any violent complaint and then his glory as a Mafia boss. He liked the sound ordering subordinates around while being able to indulge in the fantasies of his power created paradise.

Speaking of power, he remembered something of half a life ago. A malicious smile flashed on his usual handsome face as he recalled the times of his childhood. Honestly, he'd like to think that his sister was alive for personal reasons. Even so, those reasons were for him and _only _him to know.

…

The morning literally started off with a bang. A grenade bounced off his face, the impact from the explosive waking him and then pick up the grenade and threw it, as it was about to explode.

"A mafia boss is be able to sense danger, even in their sleep," stated Reborn, as if it were a fact.

"Well I'm not a mafia boss yet, am I?" growled Ieyasu as he calmed down from the state of panic he was in.

"I am here to train you into one. But at least you know what the goal of my tutorage is."

A small fight occurred over the table during breakfast and Ieyasu had attempted ignoring everyone completely before he snapped. Reborn inwardly frowned, knowing that Ieyasu had deliberately done so. For what reason, he had yet to find out. It irritated him when there was something that he did not know of, especially when he had been observing the teen for most periods of time. There were flaws and holes in the teenager's attitude, personality and speech but it did not dismiss the fact that Reborn was there to complete his mission of training the kid into the next Mafia boss.

After finishing breakfast, the pair went on their way to school, their journey soon joined by Kyoko. As they arrived at school, they were greeted by Yamamoto who laughed a few too many times, boasting a little about how Ieyasu had saved him. It was his own decision to remain collected. If he couldn't go off and piss about it in his thoughts, because a little fucker was bound to read his mind and hoodini* him in some way, he would simply have to stay calm.

"Ieyasu, we are going to establish a base in Namimori Middle."

"And what will come of it?"

"Well, we have at least a Rain, Sun and Lightning guardian already. Yamamoto and Ryohei can assist you in order to claim a place in the school," replied Reborn, "and considering that most of your guardians attend the school, it would be suitable if they were to have a base there." Ieyasu contemplated the idea.

"And what room would we use?"

"I have a place in mind."

This so called 'place in mind' was a literal disaster room. The trio, Ieyasu, Ryohei and Yamamoto had encountered the members of the Disciplinary Committee. And where they were, the leader was not close behind.

"That was extreme!"

"Ahaha, this is fun." Don't get them wrong, Ieyasu did his own fair share of fighting. However he seemed to be the most stressed out of them.

"Herbivores, what are you doing here?" a cold voice pierced the rather warm atmosphere.

"Oh! Hibari-san!" said Ryohei, recognising the prefect. Steel eyes glared at the nuisances in the room. In an instance, both Yamamoto and Ryohei were lying on the floor, defeated by the prefect's strength, leaving Ieyasu the last one standing.

"You are the idol herbivore." Well of course Hibari would know of him. If Ieyasu had turned up harmed in some way, there would be some commotion in the school. It was quite possible that even the great Hibari Kyoya could not prevent any troublesome _things_ from happening.

"What about me?" replied Ieyasu, as if he was actually maintaining a conversation with Hibari.

"I'll bite you to death." He took back what he said about Hibari not being able to prevent any problems. If the senior wanted to 'bite him to death' then there was no reason that he wasn't allowed to fight back, correct?

Barely able to dodge, Ieyasu finally tired out after a few moves, as Hibari directly hit his chest, knocking him back. _Where the fuck is Reborn? Isn't he supposed to step him when I'm getting ripped by someone?_

"Stop." As if on cue, Reborn arrived at the room via the window. Hibari stared curiously at the infant. Of course, the infant was not your average baby, so it piqued his interest. Somewhat glad that he hadn't been absolutely throttled by the elder teenager, Ieyasu got up from his previous position of being sprawled out on the ground.

Hibari attacked the baby. His attack, blocked. A low whistle slipped from his mouth and then he realised that it was almost the end of lunch.

"Go to class herbivores. I'll fight you another time." And he left. The room back to its silence it once held. Ieyasu glanced around him, at his 'guardians' and then the 'disciplinary club.'

"He would be a great cloud guardian."

"But he just fuc- he just attacked us!" exclaimed Ieyasu.

"Well that's his way of expression."

Reborn's pacifier glowed. The appearance of another Arcobaleno wasn't something he expected, but perhaps it was in due time. He would meet with them soon however there was something that troubled him in the far back of his mind. It was as if there was something _missing_. He rubbed his temple and found a comfortable position on the school roof in order to observe his student.

He heard his student's shouts from where he was currently battling a child with a single braid which seemed to stick out from her head. Ieyasu was being thrown around by a sort of special technique the child used. There was some frantic panicking and movements when, after some sort of trigger, a 3 by 3 pattern appeared on the kid's forehead. As time passed, one by one, one symbol would disappear. A countdown basically.

"It is the Pinzu-Timed Super Explosion. When all the symbols on her head disappear, she'll blow up." Reborn explained. This caused Ieyasu more stress as he hurled the child away from him, who had previously been clutching onto his leg. It was unsettling that he would do that to a child, but Reborn could forgive him considering the situation of an explosion. Yamamoto caught the child on reflex, due to his baseball skills. Prompted to throw it, Yamamoto's eyes narrowed and immediately threw the child up into the air as if a baseball. The child 'exploded' in the air, a smog of grey now residing in the air above them. As the smoke dissipated, the girl sat on the roof ground, dazzled.

After some sort of clarification, it was found out that due to the girl's poor eyesight, she had confused Ieyasu with her assassination target. Once she knew that Ieyasu was truly not her target, she abandoned the mission and apologised repeatedly in broken Japanese. However, she was disappointed that she was unable to complete the task her master had given her.

Reborn noticed the new presence in the vicinity. He felt something flicker in the back of his mind.

"Storm Arcobaleno." The figure hopped beside to him and smiled warmly at Reborn.

"Nice to meet you, Sun Arcobaleno," said the Storm.

…

"How long are you going to be staying in Namimori?" asked Reborn, as he sipped on his coffee. The feeling in the back of his mind only increased since the other Arcobaleno arrived. It was uncomfortable in his terms yet there was some sort of fierce feeling of nostalgia. He frowned internally.

"As long as I please, after all, you do not own this place and it's not like I will disrupt you," replied Fon.

"Do you have any reasons for staying for whatever period of time?"

"Well first of all, my student I-Pin is here and I just feel like staying here. Do you have a problem with me staying here?"

"…" Fon looked at the Sun Arcobaleno and smiled. Reborn may not trust him now (not that he trusts him too) but in due time there will be a day where the two would have to join forces. "I'll take that you have no problem with me being here." Fon stood up and explored the home of the Sawada family, as if it were his own. There was a malicious feeling about the home, but he dismissed it as a negative vibe from the people who lived in it, or once lived there. He came across a 'guest room.' It was the room where the other children stayed besides Ieyasu. Although the room looked simple, there was a rather empty feeling about it. It bothered him that it felt like no one had even bothered to furnish the room during its non-existence of human life before Ieyasu mingled with the mafia.

"Do you feel it too?" asked Reborn, almost surprising Fon from the sudden appearance. Fon turned to him and nodded solemnly.

"Yes I do. A feeling of emptiness."

…

"Ieyasu-nii is 27th strongest out of 86,732 potential leaders. He is ranked 2nd out of 131,268 for wanting something." Ieyasu stared at the dark blond haired kid. Something triggered him when the kid called him 'Ieyasu-nii.' He was 2nd for wanting something.

"What's your name?"

"Oh!" The objects around the two stopped floating. "My name is Fuuta, Ieyasu-nii." A group of men in suits started to gather as they recognised the little kid.

"Are those men here to get you?"

"… No, they want to take me somewhere bad."

"You can stay with me." Concluded Ieyasu with a bright smile.

"Eh? But-" Fuuta was quickly interrupted as his attention drew towards the small hitman who shot Ieyasu. Ieyasu immediately was in his Dying Will mode, his clothes already torn off. In a few split moments, the men originally pursuing were lying on the floor, unconscious. The flame on Ieyasu's forehead dissipated and he reverted back to his usual self.

"Do you want to come with me?" Fuuta stared at the display of power. He really wanted to see how Ieyasu-nii would progress. He bit his lip as he remembered a previous ranking he made that no one had heard. _Ieyasu-nii is ranked 2__nd__ for being the safest place to stay. _He's supposed to be first, logically, so who was ranked 1st? He really wanted to know.

"Oh? Baka-Ieyasu, you're finally sucking up to kids," commented Reborn, semi-impressed by his student's attitude and actions towards Fuuta. There wasn't that suspicious evil intent from previous events as well, so what made him change?

"I'm not. It's just that he called him Ieyasu-nii."

"Just that?" A playful smirk appeared on Ieyasu's face, disabling Reborn from being able to decipher his thoughts.

"Perhaps."

…

* _Hoodini_: Magical/ly trick/tricked. For more background information, watch VanossGaming, the more you know.

**It's too short lol, and I'm not entirely pleased with it but it's all I can do after so long. Thank you for reading!**

**Zaira Swift.**

**Guest Reviews**

Guest: Tsu's coming soon ;^)


	19. Chapter 19 - Platinum Part 3

**Review Replies at the bottom as always.**

**Thank god I don't need to do NAPLAN ever again. Fucking stupid piece of shit.**

…

"_Hello?" _

"_It's me."_

"_About time, Hurricane Bomb."_

"_I have my own reasons for being late… And I guess so do you."_

"_Oh? What do you mean by that?"_

"… _You wouldn't understand, but I'll arrive in Japan soon."_

"_What?"_

"_You… just observe."_

"_There shouldn't be any need for me to act. Either way, I am the number one hitman in the world."_

"_And you are also the number one idiot."_

…

When Ieyasu returned back from school, he had not expected rows of fully suited men, standing outside of his home. Before he even bothered to ask what he felt a tingle spread from his fingertips to his hand. His hand itched for a fight- any sort of action at all. He bit his lip and tolerated the time that elapsed within those very moments. The time would come eventually, after all. It's just a matter of how it would arrive and _who. _But Ieyasu doesn't know that.

"This is Dino Chiavarone, the 10th boss of the Chiavarone Famiglia. He is also an ex-student of mine," said Reborn. Calculative eyes glanced around the room, as if searching for answers. There was a heavy aura of silence but was lightened up when the blond haired man tripped over his own feet in attempt to stand up. Reborn frowned. The ex-student of his had his subordinates around him, so the fact he fell was surprising. Was something off?

"Argh…" Dino winced at the pain that shot up through his butt. It hurt when he fell on his ass. I mean, one would not be surprised if it did hurt. Unless your arse was a cushion.

_He's clumsy. Reminds me of… _Ieyasu thoughts trailed off as the elder teenager spoke.

"Sorry for being so rude, my name's Dino Chiavarone as Reborn said. You're free to call me Dino-nii or so."

"Uh… I think I'm good just calling you Dino, if that's alright." Ieyasu exerted a smile in which Dino returned with a dazzling grin.

"I'll be staying here for a while if you don't mind. My men will leave when I tell them to." Reborn seemed to glare at Ieyasu as if saying that if Ieyasu showed any complaints there'd be consequences. As if there were never consequences of any action he took, in the first place.

"That's fine by me," sweat dropped Ieyasu, "we've got a spare room. Fuuta's staying there with the other kids, so you probably might end up staying in my room. We gotta lay out a futon though." After a quick confirmation, they started to set up a futon and lay it out.

Out of the blue, Dino asked, "Can I see the spare room?" Indeed, Ieyasu thought, it was a strange question to ask but there was no harm in showing a room to another person. Ieyasu at the front with Reborn on his head, led Dino to the room. The younger children were enjoying a day outside before the sun set. Nana, of course, was supervising them.

Dino was obviously a little perturbed as he paced around the room, taking in the spacing and furniture. He placed his hand to the wall. The gut wrenching feeling that overwhelmed him, the faintest presence of sky flames that he recognised so well and the sprig of anger that started to blind his vision when he looked at Reborn and Ieyasu. It was not time. Not yet. Not when anyone has made a move.

"Uh, are you done?" Pulled out of his musings, Dino snapped his attention to confused pair who waited for him. The blond head turned his attention to Reborn who was definitely suspicious of his actions.

He laughed dryly. "Sorry, this room just reminded me of my younger years." If eyes had the capability to have full facial expressions, Reborn's would have resembled an eye raise.

Soon after, Ieyasu had been left the other two alone. For now, he was able to do whatever he desired as long as he did not bother Reborn and Dino's chit chat.

"I believe you want to talk to me about something?" Reborn said as he sat himself down on the bed in the guest room. It was as if a mask had been lifted from Dino's face, revealing all his mixed emotions to the tutor. Despite what on earth was wrong with the Arcobaleno, Dino knew that he could only trust him. Reborn was a 'man' smart enough to know what to do in troublesome situations and events. Dino just hoped that Reborn still had that skill and attitude to do so.

"Reborn, I'm stressed. I've just never been so troubled." Dino was genuinely frustrated. He couldn't help it. Reborn, being the great doting tutor, ex-tutor, he was, merely watched on. Just as the Arcobaleno was about to say something, Dino interrupted him.

"You wouldn't understand."

Reborn grew irritated. "Everyone has been telling me that, but I'd like to differ."

"How long has it been since I last saw you, Reborn?" questioned Dino. Reborn froze. "Can't remember?"

"What-"

"I mean nothing by this. But the reason I am so frustrated I do not wish- I cannot tell you. You would not understand." Reborn knew the extent of a Sky's ability. To understand another person was one of them but… vice-versa, it was difficult, even if he was the great Reborn and Dino was the ex-student.

"Do elaborate, Dino." The new presence alarmed both of them; the entrance red clad infant. He did not interfere but, however, watched on. "What is it that Reborn would not understand?" The newcomer asked. Dino did not reply.

"Fon, this is a private conversation." The Storm Arcobaleno ignored him.

"There is a pain in your heart and an anger you can't extinguish until something has happened. I will not push any further but your pain can be eased if you-"

"It isn't my pain. There are many _many _other people who hold this pain and anger. Perhaps it is not even our right to feel this way. Neither of you two would understand," grimaced Dino. He started to put back on his mask.

Both Arcobaleno infants were baffled at the blond's outburst. An annoyed expression started to form on Reborn's face but was instantly held back by Fon before he could lash out both verbally and physically.

"We understand."_ No, you don't._ "We'll leave you alone." And so, the two left, although, Reborn unwillingly.

Dino sighed and recalled the time where he first met the little girl whose bright smile both illuminated and haunted his thoughts. The little tricks and pranks she played. The times she had always managed to pull him out of his miseries. It was not a feeling of love he had for her, but admiration and respect.

And when _that _happened, everything seemed to just disappear. Honestly, he was just angry at himself, as he had never returned a single favour to the girl. It pissed him off that no one had done anything to stop the girl from leaving and everyone she had been close to had both mentally and physically removed her from their life.

The last time he saw her, she did not have her usual bright smile which lifted everyone's spirits… but one of regret. An unfound emotion boiled his blood. She never said she would not see them again. And it was not like she was one to disappear altogether.

One day, he would see that smile again.

…

Pink smoke engulfed the room. When it dissipated, it revealed a much taller and elder figure. The ten years later Lambo.

"Huh? I was just enjoying some takoyaki when- oh." Ieyasu was merely amused but never the less, annoyed. It was an older version of the cow brat. "Ieyasu…"

"What." A statement, not a question.

"Hmm… still have that harsh attitude. Oh well." The older version of Lambo stood up from his previous seated position and glanced around the room. "Brings back some memories. I still hate you either way Ieyasu."

"What do you mean?"

"In our world, there are things which can't be reversed," articulated Lambo, "and there are thing which we cannot prevent."

Before Ieyasu could ask any more questions, the 5 year old cow kid had already returned with a satisfied smile, happily munching on takoyaki. As if on cue, Reborn entered the room.

"Hey Reborn. I have a question." Reborn did not say anything, nor allowed or disallowed him to ask away. Ieyasu assumed that it would be fine to ask. "What cannot be reversed?"

"And what spurs you to ask?"

"Just lingering thoughts." The atmosphere was still, as if allowing room for one to think carefully about how to answer. Lambo's grumbles and mumbles were only background noise.

"Time."

"Huh?"

"Time cannot be reversed."

"That's obvious." Reborn flicked Ieyasu's head.

"It's is not the _literal _time, but the experiences and events that come with time which cannot be reversed."

"That's rather insightful for a baby."

"Want to say that again?" And thus began another string of torture began, where Ieyasu awaited his fated doom.

…

The dark purple haired girl walked past the Sawada residence. Most of her trips between the supermarket and her 'home' were uneventful however the Sawada residence was always really rowdy and had an inviting vibe. She had told her master about the home but he had only reacted by the dark look which clouded his face. With his signature laugh, her master had brushed off the topic and said she was free to see what the Sawada residence was up to if she wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

She had originally dismissed the odd actions of her master to be because of her weaknesses but realised that there was a glint of _something _in the mismatching coloured eyes. Despite how she was mentally linked to him, she often could not figure out what her master was thinking about and what made that warm smile grace his face. When her master had smiled that way, she felt a little hot headed and longed to know what or who made him smile.

She gripped her grocery bags as she confidently walked up to the front door of the Sawada residence and rang the doorbell. The door opened shortly after.

"Hi how can I help you?" asked the brown haired woman. She looked kind and warm, but something was off.

"Sorry, I was just wondering what was going on because of all the noise…" her voice gradually became quieter as she started to think she had made the wrong decision to be upfront about the ruckus. It was odd for someone to knock on your door to ask about what they were doing.

"Oh, my son is just playing with the kids."

"Ah, I'm sorry for bothering you-" Her stomach growled

"It's fine! Since you're hungry, would you like to join us for dinner?" Scrap just going up to someone's door, allowing someone to enter upon meeting was just outrageous.

"Um, no, I'm good thank you." She bowed and quickly made her exit, feeling the heat rise up to her face. Something definitely felt off. Perhaps it was the woman's way of speaking or whatever was going on inside the house, but it made her insides turn out.

The woman cupped her hand to her cheek wondering why the young girl was so quick to go. The teenager had reminded her of her daughter when she was younger. She appeared to be weak and timid yet had that annoying strong willed look in her eyes. The woman watched as the purple haired girl ran off and then closed the door.

"Nagi, dear, how was your visit?"

"The woman seemed nice…" replied Nagi as she caught her breath. She placed the groceries on the floor when a blond teenager literally pounced on to them.

"Did you buy the bubble gum, byon?" he asked, tearing into the poor plastic bags. She nodded.

"Kufufu, she seemed nice? I want to know what you feel."

"I was uncomfortable. It didn't feel right to be there." Mukuro smirked at her reply as if he had expected such an answer.

"Do you remember the girl I once told you about?" Something sparked in her memory.

"Yes, the one who saved you from… there, correct?"

"That's the one. I want you to meet her one day, I'm sure you'd like her." Mukuro looked into the distance, reminiscing about the past times. He was heavily indebted to her and he was not the type to be patient about it.

_Is she the reason why master smiles? _Nagi wondered. She would be an absolute saint. She was getting excited at the thought of ever meeting the other girl. Any thought of hidden jealously disappeared. If the girl that Mukuro had spoken of was so great, she'd be able to tame the mischievous behaviour of Ken. Nagi would even have a female friend to do whatever they'd want. The mere thought of future events excited her.

"When can I meet her?" asked Nagi, eager.

"I don't know," said Mukuro. She whispered an 'Oh.' "Surprised? We cut our connections from her and the others the moment we left. However, I'm sure she will eventually appear."

"Mukuro-sama, is she missing or something?"

"In a way, she's missing. However I have the obligation to believe that she has not lost her way." The conversation ended, allowing Nagi to think to herself. She turned her attention to Ken and Chikusa who were trying to shut each other up about the snacks and food she had bought previously.

Mukuro smiled to himself. He knew enough to wreak havoc in some of the most influential and powerful mafia Famiglias. There was this sort of adrenalin rush he'd get when he discovers something interesting and new that no one else or few knew about. It was a thing he picked up from the mist Arcobaleno. He knew that since he had left Italy with Ken and Chikusa, he'd regret some things and thus was glad he was not that close to the brown haired girl.

There were things he was uncertain of. He knew that something major had happened since Viper had returned to Italy. Not long after, he lost connection with the other Illusionist and, since, had never seen her again. But considering that his connection with Viper had been lost, he had also lost connection with Tsuna. It left him worried but he figured that if the girl remained as head strong as she was, everything would be fine. Well, that's what Mukuro _thought_ at least.

…

"Finally, we're at Japan," said the silverette as he stopped with his luggage in hand. He turned towards the person who trailed behind him.

"At _home._" She said.

…

**Thanks for reading! Might be a while till next update. Sorry.**

**Zaira Swift.**

_**Guest Review Replies-**_

_**SomeoneYouDunno**__: _Ieyasu will do his own thing and no need to apologise for your language. You are free to express your thoughts! I'm sure Tsuna will be fine~ :) Absolutely nothing is wrong with staying with Ieyasu (well as long as you stay on his good side.) Tsuna is coming.

_**Macaroni**__: _Here's the update and Tsuna's doing her best to do whatever she can.


	20. Chapter 20 - Platinum Part 4

**I had some time to spare, so here. Thanks for 400+ follows. :)**

**So anyone want to have a shot at what sort of issue Ieyasu has? The answer will be somewhere in the chapter.**

…

A thrum of thrill struck his body. It sent shivers down his back and tingled his insides in excitement. This intuition that Reborn had told him about sure was doing its magic. According to him, this great power, or intuition as we call it, was hereditary and applied to all the chosen sky flames in the family. It had not given him a bad feeling, nor did it stab his gut like it had often done so previously (such as when Reborn was about to give him a list of _exercises _and _workouts_.) This time, it felt like he had been forcedly fed a happy pill and suddenly enveloped with comforting warmth. _He knew _something great was going to happen. He enjoyed the feeling and couldn't help but smile. The girls who were in his class glanced at him curiously. He received multiple looks; blushes, smiles and annoyed expressions. The school bell had rung, signalling the start of the school day. The teacher entered the room with a satisfied look, as if she had gotten a pay rise.

"Although it's rather abrupt, we're receiving two new transfer students who join us from Italy," she said. Ieyasu frowned. It was strange to get a transfer student and nonetheless, during the middle of the school term. However, they were from Italy, so it wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't like the school hadn't had foreign transfer students before. One time, there were some from America however they mysteriously disappeared. But either way, foreigners definitely attracted a lot of attention, especially Ieyasu's.

"Please introduce yourselves," said the teacher, with a grin. She was one of those teachers who were always nice to the class however was extremely bias against students, exaggerated her difficulties and complained about the behaviour of the students. Perhaps she was not suited for the job, but there she was, the home room teacher of the class.

"Che, stupid bit-" The silver haired male was jabbed by the female with her elbow. "… Gokudera Hayato." Scanning the class, his emerald eyes zoned into Ieyasu's blue whose attention just happened to be lingering at the front of the class. A nasty snarl appeared on Gokudera's face in which Ieyasu returned the reaction with a bright smile. He had a Japanese name although he was from Italy. "I'm a quarter Japanese." The transfer student's statement answered the question which floated around the room. Silver hair and green eyes with a whole outlook of the 'bad boy' made most of the girls swoon. Ieyasu took note of that and considered the idea of pounding the new student down to his fee. Then the attention was turned towards the female student.

"Hi, you can just call me Tsuna." First of all, her voice was collected and confident. It was not as high pitched as one would assume, but it made Ieyasu's insides feel fuzzy. She was rather short. Her round face and doe like golden hued eyes captured the class's attention. She was pale and had strange fluffy hair which was tied back. She was thin, but one could tell she had a rather toned body from the visible outlines of muscles on her legs and arms. Overall, she was breath taking. The males couldn't help but gape at her. She looked both cute and mature. There were a few strands of golden hair which framed her face. She slightly moved her arm as she breathed and had eye bags which accounted for the many sleepless nights. The only who noticed those details was Ieyasu, who was focused on the very _existence _of the girl.

His eyes widened as he stared at the female. _This _was what his intuition was screaming about. _This _was what made him feel funny to the very bone. He laughed manically to himself. _There was no way. _That's what he told himself multiple times. He never considered the possibility of her being alive. For all he knew, she could have been picked off the street, thrown into orphanage houses and perhaps even taken 'home' by a stranger. His younger self had quite the imagination, after all. At that very moment, he was snapped back into reality when the male transfer student kicked over his desk making a thump. Ieyasu sat still on his seat, not taking any aggressive actions- lazed back with his hands his pant pockets. The silverette mumbled out a message. 'Behind the gym, after school.'

"Tsuna, you may sit next to Sawada-san. Sawada, please raise your hand," said the teacher. The teacher either liked Ieyasu or despised him. The blond never figured out which one, but he leant to the positives and assumed the teacher liked him. Each step Tsuna took screamed out grace (something that Ieyasu had not expected)… until she was tripped by Ieyasu.

"Sorry there," he said, he reached out a hand as he offered help. She got up from the ground and then proceeded to get to her seat, simply staring at the edge of her desk. Whispers erupted from the class, going along the lines of how the new pretty girl rejected and ignored their school idol. Ieyasu, necessarily, didn't mind. He just couldn't help but think about all the things which happened in the past and what he could do in the future. After all, he was her brother, so he had the right to do whatever he wanted.

…

"_Hey Hayato…"_

"_Yes Tsuna-san?"_

She sighed. He called her that again. "I want you to answer my question honestly, okay?"

"I would never lie to you." She winced inwardly. There were incidents where one would lie to their friend, boss or whatever the silverette referred her as. She respected that until it concerned her or involved others. It would be something that both he and she could learn about each other in the near future and Tsuna was rather thankful that no event where lying had been resorted to. But that's off topic, of course.

"If I got in some sort of trouble, would you still come and help me even if I ordered you not to?"

"… Yes." Understandable. She turned to the plane window, eying the clouds which floated beside them. The silverette had originally been told to arrive in Japan two or three months prior. However, due to the situation with Tsuna, he was unable to. He was glad that the brunette had turned to him for support and was horrified to think that she would have gone to much more desperate measures such as robbery, assassination jobs, joining other mafia families and some unspeakable occupations… your imagination can suffice for that.

"Remember when we first met? I was really cheeky huh. I still remember your panicked expression." She chuckled to herself, reminiscing about the past then winced as she recalled the familiar mop of orange/red hair. She had left him behind and he was the closest to her. The silverette's lips tightened into an attempted pout.

"You haven't changed." Said Hayato, ruffling his hair. His usual rash and grumpy behaviour seemed to be non-existent as he settled into his seat. He never liked the prospect of being in the same place for hours.

"I know. But when we land in Japan, things are going to be different."

"How so?" It was stupid question. He clearly knew that the Sun Arcobaleno was there, training her brother to become the next Vongola.

It took Tsuna an extreme amount of effort to stop him from going on a full blown rampage. For Tsuna, losing the Arcobaleno and Vindice was the loss of the family she never had. The fact that Tsuna had decided to return to her home town merely affirmed the fact she wanted to see what had changed in the past 8 or so years since she had left. She could have avoided doing so by just staying in hiding, but one can only be so restless. Hayato had never been told the full story of Tsuna's past. He respected her decision for not telling him as it seemed to discomfort her, but he was worried about not being able to know the cause of her suffering. It was sad how little he knew.

"I want to take things at the pace things want. I'll just go with the flow. So, whatever happens, just go with it okay?" she said.

"Okay." Was his response.

…

The end of school approached in a flash. The smile that was plastered on Ieyasu's face never faded, even when he was attacked by Gokudera by his explosives.

"Annoying bastard… Stop moving around," growled Gokudera. The frustration grew little by little by every miss he made. Tsuna had taught him better yet there was something pulling him back, as if he was unable to harm Tsuna's brother.

"Oh? Finally arrived Hurricane Bomb?" said the squeaky voice. Gokudera ignored the mini hitman's words. A shot was fired- Ieyasu's clothes ripped. The dynamite sticks were put out, a few at a time, due to Ieyasu's handiwork. A slip up in Gokudera's moves caused a few loose dynamites to fall on the ground. Thinking it was the end for him and had already failed both his mission and Tsuna's request, he pulled himself back and gave up.

There was some sort of transition between his irritations towards Ieyasu to respect. The blond had saved him by shoving him back, also _almost_ sacrificing himself for him.

"I'm sorry for doubting you," said Gokudera, genuinely grateful for the other teenager's actions. He should have known better considering his place as Tsuna's 'friend' as she called him.

"Does that mean you're a part of my family now?" Ieyasu knew the drill. Reborn had made sure of that, but it was still bold of him to state it. He had Yamamoto, Ryohei and Lambo, (Hibari as well but he dared not to say so.) There was hesitation from Gokudera who bit his lip in anxiety. Just as he was going to confirm that he would be joining Ieyasu from the terms and conditions which were announced at the beginning of the fight, they were interrupted. Obviously by the fluffy haired brunette.

"Hi there, sorry to break it to you, but you aren't taking Hayato." The brunette jumped down from the wall. The atmosphere around the girl oozed out mischief and trouble, in which Reborn took note of. It was completely different to when he first observed her enter the classroom. She initially had the whole 'weak' and 'clumsy' feel but there was that air of confidence which contradicted with his observations. Upon first glance, she would seem like that, but he knew better as the world's number one hitman. He had never expected Gokudera to have brought another person with him, but instead of just friendship, the two seemed to have different relationship. The sort where a Mafia boss and their right hand had. She had also come from Italy and knew the silverette _very _well - which led him to conclude that she was related to the mafia or at least aware of their activities.

The girl seemed to pause for a miniscule second upon seeing the Arcobaleno. There was some sort of disapproval in her eyes, as if she was disappointed in Reborn. It was at least how he took it and he couldn't help but feel disgusted by both her and himself. Mainly himself, but he couldn't admit that because… well, he didn't really know why.

"You're… Reborn." She said it as if she was done with the world. As if she's already accepted what was going on and went with it. Oh, all the things that Reborn was unaware of. More like, what Reborn did not remember.

Ieyasu seemed to be getting impatient. Being ignored by the other three was a no-no. He wanted to blurt it all out.

"Now, as I was saying, you cannot take Hayato. He is mine." A faint blush flashed on the silver haired teen's face. Ieyasu noticed this. "Well that's if he chooses to stay, of course."

"And why is that? I am his superior. And Baka-Ieyasu had fairly won, did he not, Gokudera?" said the infantile hitman.

"Not when you're a baby, Reborn." In the moment of rage, Reborn fired his Leon gun at the girl, the smoke coming out from the nozzle. Ieyasu spun towards Reborn's direction, angered.

"Don't you dare shoot at her," seethed Ieyasu. Everyone was surprised at his sudden statement. The amount of 'murderous intent' was putrid and it made, mainly Tsuna, them sick.

"She is the one who calls me that so familiarly," replied Reborn, as if he was innocent. _And just so happens to know something about the Arcobaleno curse. _

"You will not even dare to attack her in my presence." _Because only I can hurt her._

"I do not take orders." _I _**am** _the number one Hitman in the world, despite this physical form. _

"I am the future Vongola Decimo am I not?" Reborn didn't care whether the blond had revealed something he shouldn't have to someone 'innocent' and 'unaware' to the mafia, because it was rather visible that the brunette was aware of the mafia's existence.

Tsuna merely cringed at the blond's statement. Some things can be dealt with later. What a troublesome brother she had. She knew what was coming up if she knew her brother well enough.

"Not yet."

"You will not attack her." Reborn raised an eyebrow. Everyone continued to stare at Ieyasu, amused, curious or irritated. "She is… my sister." Tsuna grimaced. There it was. The ground breaker. Not that it wasn't unexpected though and nor was it that big of a deal to Tsuna, at least.

"Tsuna-san, aren't you-" started Gokudera. The brunette shut him up with her hand, which covered the blabbering mouth of his. Hush.

Silence filled the air. Reborn had not been informed about a second child let alone, who had clearly known about the mafia for quite some time. He already had many questions to _ask_ Iemitsu and the appearance of the girl only added onto that list. He frowned. And then placed the blame on Ieyasu, because that was what he always did. "And you didn't tell me."

"Because I didn't know- I didn't know she came back from Italy." The lie was so fluent, one could miss it. Reborn almost did but the reaction his student had when seeing the girl introduce herself in class was enough for him to dismiss it. Despite the tension, Tsuna had started to enjoy the scene. Unlike her younger self who could be shivering and panicking. Well, deep inside, she definitely was knocking her knees together and had the strong urge to run away from her devilish brother and the tutor who she barely acknowledge as 'Reborn.' Who knew how much a year could change a person. She laughed out loud.

"It's funny how far one can fall." Said Tsuna, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Are you talking about yourself?" asked Reborn, sceptical.

"Perhaps but more specifically you, Arcobaleno." Reborn's eyes sharpened. The girl knew more than he let on. Something told him to shoot her there and make her spew out all she knew but a great invisible force kept his arm plastered to his side (along with Ieyasu's plea), away from Leon who had already settled- wait. On the girl's arm was the green chameleon.

"Leon you-" _Traitor. _The girl smirked, as if it was her victory. She straightened her back and sprinted. Even with his magical hitman powers, he wouldn't be able to catch up to her. The fact that Leon had not left the teenager's grasp was because he trusted her enough to leave the Hitman's sight and his radar. There had always been problems with his communication skills with the green reptile since he was cursed into the infantile body. Reborn was unable to 'speak' with it as he once did. Although he never knew the context, the reptile would only show him emotions and not 'speak' to him. Basically, Leon was unable to tell him whatever he was distressed with because Reborn could not understand (how rare). If Leon (and Reborn) had been able to, many problems would have been solved much earlier. However, fate must play with them.

Ieyasu and Gokudera stared at the trail of dust left behind by the girl. Gokudera started to follow after her only to stop. _Go with the flow, right? _He turned to Ieyasu, giving his final response.

"I'll join your famiglia, but I will still prioritize Tsuna over you no matter what." And he left. Ieyasu, both bewildered and irritated, simply stared towards the distance. It couldn't end like that. He hadn't even made a move yet his sister had been ahead of him. He felt his body start to shake. For her to have tricked him into thinking she was still meek and weak before was unforgiveable. The silver haired teen was close to her right? He could just steal what was hers. It was such a simple task and it would allow him to see her writhe in pain, in a way. He smiled, disguising his darker thoughts.

"You will tell me all you know about your sister," ordered the mini hitman.

"What if I don't want to?" replied Ieyasu, as he started to walk towards the front of the gym. There was no point staying there any longer with no 'entertainment.'

"Then I'll make you." Ieyasu stopped in his tracks and looked right into Reborn's eyes. It brushed Reborn the wrong way. His task wasn't as simple as he thought. He couldn't confide in anyone. He never sought for help, but this time it was different. Not when there were so many missing pieces in the game he never knew he even participated in. No, it wasn't Ieyasu's little sick game, or Tsuna's game to get things back together, but fate's game to torture everyone and everything.

The pair walked back to the Sawada residence in silence.

Ieyasu couldn't get Tsuna out of his mind. Namely, it was about how he felt and what he thought about both in the past and present. Tsuna was his sister. He wanted all the attention from everyone in the beginning. It got boring after a while. He expanded it from preschool friends and teachers to their parents. The parents adored him. Their favourite and most precious little son. He simply watched on as his sister was abused by them. When she disappeared, he knew that his parents had played a part in it. He was smart enough to know that. He also knew how cute and intelligent his sister could be despite being helpless and '_dame_.' The fact she never used her skills to her advantage pissed him off back then. But since she was gone, it was just boring. It was empty and that's when he realised that, no, it was not loneliness. It was _obsession. _Ieyasu had a sis-con. That's how he took it at least.

…

"?" The girl looked at the brown haired girl who glanced and smiled at her back warmly. Was there something on her face? Just as the girl was about to turn away she felt a great lurch in her stomach and then began to pull her back. Mist surrounded her body and was replaced with a male figure with mismatching eye colours.

The brunette, in some way, was happy, but the dark purple haired girl was no longer there, so she wouldn't know either way.

"Mukuro, glad to see you doing well," the brunette chirped. Mukuro smiled with an 'I knew it' expression. He laughed. It was unlike him to be glad to meet someone. He'd make an exception for the brown haired girl. He then glanced at the green creature on her shoulder.

"That man is here?" he questioned with an eyebrow raise.

"Man? You're quite mistaken. More like a baby," she said giving the creature a pat. Mukuro seemed unfazed. "And that girl was the girl you talked about, no?"

"That was her." He confirmed.

"You're nicer."

"You're more mature." Tsuna pouted.

"That's rude coming from someone who left so suddenly."

"Well that should apply to Viper as well."

"… I believe there are many things I should tell you." Whether she wanted to confide with others was her own choice, no? It was also their choice whether they wanted to listen and provide options and opinions.

"Kufufu, pray, do tell. I don't think it would shock me that much," he said. Tsuna chuckled creepily, almost like the male teen's laugh.

"Well let's see about that."

…

_Guest Reviews:_

_**MysteryFellow: **_Yes, Tsuna is back. Here's the update.

_**N: **_Well Tsuna compared to Ieyasu... let's just say Ieyasu is as a bit stronger than the canon version of Tsuna before Mukuro's arc. Tsuna in this fic is stronger than Xanxus, but still not as strong as you'd think.

**Did it flow? I had to go over it a few times to be happy with it. Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading. Depending how much stress and work piles up, the update times may be messy. I'll get through it.**

**Zaira Swift. **

_Uploaded: 25__th__ May 2016_


	21. Chapter 21 - Platinum Part END

**If you have any questions please ask. I'm sorry in advance if anything gets confusing.**

...

He could feel his hands wrap around the girl's neck. He could feel the cold sweat building up on the girl's neck as he tightened his grip. The legs kicking in struggle and wheezing that involuntarily came out of her mouth only ensued more madness to him. The edges of his lips twitched into a maniacal smile as he squeezed his hands around the neck. The resounding crack was the signal to tell him to let go. A voice continuously whispered into his ear.

_Kill her._

Another voice seemed to argue against that.

_She's your sister. You can't._

Ieyasu frowned as he looked down at his hands. He couldn't help but feel dirty. He scrubbed and scratched at his palms, noticing how he increasingly became disgusted at himself. His eyes trailed from his hands to the lifeless body that lay in front of him. He fought back against the tears of anger which started to form in his eyes. He wasn't sure whether he was angry at himself or he was angry at the fact that Tsuna didn't acknowledge him the way he wanted her to. This wasn't how it was supposed to work.

Even so, if fate liked to play favourites, one could only hope fate would spare one self.

…

The little green creature stared curiously at the conversing teenagers. Chrome, as Tsuna was introduced, was the girl that Mukuro had specifically left the Vindice manor in order to find. Mukuro and Chrome had some sort of mental and spiritual connection, despite never seeing each other once in real life. Leon, the loyal chameleon who served the greatest hitman in the world, Reborn, simply decided that his master was too ignorant and went with the familiar girl in which it believed was a better choice than Reborn. Of course, betraying Reborn wasn't a very wise decision, but everyone has their own little gut-feelings. Being an animal, Leon was at least capable of going with his instincts.

Mukuro sighed at what Tsuna told and explained to him. Sure, this wasn't exactly how Mukuro would react, but the whole Arcobaleno 'curse' was already enough, but for them to all forget about everything was just… unexplainable. Viper never returned after the incident, so she must have had been affected by the memory loss issue. Why the curse was able to do that, no one knew. Tsuna then further told Mukuro about leaving the Vindice manor. The two weren't exactly the closest pair of people, but both knew the appropriate times to make a joke and when it was time to just sit down and listen to each other speak. A pause in the conversation allowed Chrome to pick up some confidence to voice her thoughts.

"Um… you're Mukuro's saviour, right?" she asked, looking warily at the brunette. Personally, she had nothing against her, and was rather eager to talk to her about other things, such as their interests and hobbies, rather than their life stories. But the atmosphere was too tense and oppressing. No one present in the room had a pleasant past either way. Tsuna turned her attention to the timid girl and smiled gently at her.

"Yeah, if that's how you put it." Mukuro said nothing, believing it was a topic not to be discussed in full depth. It was both for his sake of his unhappy days in the Estraneo and Tsuna's friendship with Reborn which was severed far too instantly. Chrome made eye contact with Mukuro, a new born determination that reflected in her eyes. Mukuro replied to the girl with a grimace and turned towards the brunette. It was a silent conversation between the two pineapple heads, which both knew what each other meant very well.

"Thank you," he said to Tsuna. "I haven't properly thanked you."

Tsuna, obviously taken aback, quickly accepted his gratefulness. "Honestly, it doesn't feel right for you to say thank you when Reborn was the one-"

"It was still you who had reached out to us," interrupted Mukuro, as he spoke on behalf of himself and Ken and Chikusa.

Tsuna ruffled her hair. It was hard to deal with ones who were stubborn and have their whole plan set out, not that she can really say that for herself. She was quite the stubborn one too. She was glad that the Mukuro she had met had at least opened up to people. Upon meeting the boy, he was close to the brink of madness or at least some sort of insanity. Also, evaluating people's strength through intuition was something she had picked up. And if Mukuro, back then, had attempted to escape he would be rather successful… However, the end result would be rather _messy_. Either way, she'd have to thank Chrome for making Mukuro a little warmer to people. It was something one wouldn't expect from a person who had suffered for most of their life.

"Do you plan to do anything?" questioned Mukuro, referring to Tsuna's situation with the Arcobaleno. Tsuna wasn't in the best of things, but it was known to him that the girl would always have some sort of plan or an idea of what to do next. Perhaps that was why she seemed so… reliable…

"Not really." She turned away from the two, head tilted towards the ceiling. "I might set things straight with my family." Both Chrome and Mukuro raised an eyebrow at the statement. They weren't exactly aware of the whole current situation, but neither had heard anything about Tsuna's family.

"Do they dislike you?" asked Chrome. She had been in a similar circumstances before, after all.

"Of the sorts. I guess it's more me disliking myself," she said. "I was weak. And I technically still am." Chrome and Mukuro didn't say anything. When someone doubted themselves, it was up to them to believe what they _can _do. Even with the support of friends and family, it was a complex situation. Something that the pineapple hair pair were unable to help with. Tsuna noticed the pair's reactions and decided to drop the whole topic.

"It's alright if I stay here right? I don't think Ken and Chikusa will mind." With a cute look to pull it off, her question didn't seem like a question but a statement. Mukuro stared blankly, feeling somewhat indifferent to Tsuna but still affected by the kicked puppy dog look.

"It'll be nice for Chrome. She's rather lonely without a female companion." Some sort of motherly nature overtook Tsuna, as if saying, "_Awww, poor baby…" _to Chrome. A protective hand held onto Chrome's, an enveloping warmth that a parent would give to their child. Slightly flustered, Chrome adjusted her hand and couldn't help but be amazed at how the other girl just took her in, as if a mother bird adopting another baby bird under her wing. It was welcoming and brought peace to the mind, as if someone had just accepted her no matter what she was like. The two girls giggled to themselves. Mukuro simply left because he couldn't help but shiver at the thoughts that lurked in his mind.

He wasn't sure whether the presence of the brunette was absolutely positive but he had to admit, she was definitely _the_ sky, the _one_ who accepts all.

…

When you are presented an idea, it takes time for it to sink in and a specific thought process. Especially when it was something that went against what you had originally thought. Reborn felt like he was opposing a force that he never even knew existed. That was until the appearance of Tsuna seemed to bring up some suspicions about their 'relationship.'

One, the two of them had once met. – He didn't have any recollection of the girl, but there was something that did pull him towards her. He didn't know what. Both curious and wary of what, he would eventually find out what. It also would fess up the reason why Leon decided to go with the girl.

Two, the girl had deep connections with the mafia. - It was the most plausible, considering that she held an extensive knowledge of the Arcobaleno curse. She also knew who he was and was well aware of the existence of the mafia. There seemed to be some sort of recognition when she first laid eyes on him.

Three, he was being tricked. – He didn't want to believe it, because _the _Reborn doesn't get tricked. Especially by some teenage girl. He was a teenager too, technically, if he paid more attention to himself that was stuck inside the infantile body. She said that he had 'fallen,' as if he was once so great. Which he had to admit, he was pretty damn great before the curse.

Four, not exactly a suspicion of her identity but a fact. She was the sister, perhaps twin sister, with Ieyasu. – It would rile up the entire mafia and it would also mean that Iemitsu had lied, concealed or tampered with the information provided about his family. Whatever happened, it would be very costly for both the mafia and Iemitsu.

Without a single idea of what the motive the girl had, he didn't have much of a choice. The fact that he was technically a few years older than the girl pissed him off. Sure, _adults _can call him an emotional teenager, but he was literally in the prime of his life when he was turned into a freaking baby! He knew that the Arcobaleno curse took that much of a toll on him. Leon had also left him. Although it was rather clear that Ieyasu was somewhat relieved of the chameleon's presence, it didn't mean that Reborn had other methods of 'torturing' the boy.

He sunk into his shoes, something he would never do. Hitmen stand up straight and proud. They don't sink to the depths of whatever they're in - not even the pools of blood they pile up.

"What is bothering the number one hitman so much?" asked the Storm Arcobaleno, as he descended from the sky.

"You constantly bother me with your questions."

"Well, they lead you somewhere at least." Reborn silently agreed. A rare occurrence, indeed.

"The kid asked a question about what we can't reverse. I said it was time."

"That is true," said Fon. He sighed. He hoped that the peaceful atmosphere would last until they finish their conversation. They always seem to be interrupted by either other people or their own thoughts.

"Are we running out of time?"

"We never know what the day will bring. I believe that Chiavarone will a better idea of this."

"What makes you think that?" questioned Reborn. Dino was not known for his insightfulness.

"Just a hunch. Besides, something else is troubling you. And it's not your disciple, correct?" A small pause.

"Ieyasu has a sister. And I have reason to believe that she is his twin sister. Why she was not known of, I don't know. Nono has no recollection of her when he visited the Sawada family."

"That is surprising." Fon's repose irked into curiosity. "It also wouldn't be. Perhaps Iemitsu hid her the mafia?"

"It's not possible. She knew who I was and was very familiar with me. I wouldn't be surprised if she knew who you were too."

"But we don't have any connection except the curse," said Fon, a sudden realisation. "You mean that she had something to do with the curse? It would explain how I feel vexed every now and then."

"Ieyasu will have to spit out all he knows if we want to know any more. Besides that we'd have to interrogate her." Both options were slightly out of hand. Ieyasu had already refused to say any more about the girl and the location of the girl was unknown. Gokudera wasn't with her, so he had no means of knowing where she was because Leon was his main 'device.' Reborn clicked his tongue in annoyance. He didn't have 'the next course of action' and it pissed him off.

A clatter alerted the two Arcobaleno of the new presence. They turned towards the blond.

"Ieyasu's sister? You mean… Tsuna?"

…

He wasn't exactly bothered by the two transfer students, but both were questionable from where they came from. Their profiles stated nothing more than their ages and the names that the provided. Whether they were real or false, they traced to absolutely nothing. Nothing was wrong with Namimori, which made him slightly livid at the fact absolutely _nothing _was happening. His rules were to be obeyed, of course, but this meant that since everyone followed his law, nothing would happen, therefore he had nothing to do.

Roaming the same streets of Namimori had never been so seemingly boring to him. So the new appearance of the foreigners was something he could pass some time with. He shifted the files and took a look closer, studying the students' facial features. The male seemed like he had never once shown a smile and constantly frowned or scowled. The female smiled warmly but what bugged him was the fact that it made him jerk at the expression the girl showed. It just didn't seem right.

He placed the files into a drawer and lazed back in his seat.

The door suddenly slammed open, the door handle slamming into the wall.

"Ah. Wrong room." The brown haired girl closed the door, the handle came off and an extremely clear crack and dent in the wall, present. The disciplinary committee leader snapped up, tonfas already out. Looks like he had someone who just damaged school property.

…

"Mukuro-sama… we cannot hurt anyone." Heterochromatic eyes met the deep purple eyes (minus one because of the eye patch) of Chrome's as he pulled away his grip from the collar of another teenager.

"What's wrong with just a few? They're annoying either way." Chrome's eye twitched.

"You absolutely cannot hurt someone! For the sake of yourself and both Tsuna and I. No one wants to get in trouble and if you attract any attention, people will be onto Tsuna's trail." The sudden outburst shocked Mukuro. He was taken aback by the girl's righteous nature and how much she supported the brunette despite to have only met her the previous day. He breathed out. It's not like he wanted to bully the the people with the strange hair style.

…

"_**VOOOOIIIIIIII!**__"_

~.~.~

_**Platinum represents the determination and manifestations to completion. So let's see what it takes for one person to put things back in place.**_

~.~.~

**Thanks for reading! And that completes 'Platinum.'**

**Uploaded: **4th July 2016


	22. Chapter 22 - Utopiosphere Part 1

**The first part of Utopiosphere. Fast update ayy. **

**Ages of characters so far:**

6 – Lambo, I-Pin

9 – Fuuta

13 – Tsuna, Ieyasu, Gokudera, Yamamoto

14 – Ryohei, Hibari

15 – Gingerbread, Belphegor

16 – Dino, Squalo

17 – Arcobaleno minus Luce, Bianchi, Leviathan

18 – Luce, Xanxus

19 – Lussuria

…

It was quite the revelation to the blond that Tsuna had already arrived in Namimori. He was, perhaps, the last to know - that disappointed him, nonetheless. The whole commotion should have been enough to alert him but it seemed as if Tsuna's actions were subtle and hidden. As if specified to target certain people. Well, she always had that sort of skill, considering that she had grown up in an environment with the most dangerous Mafioso, who surrounded her and made up what little childhood she had.

There are countless expressions and emotions that Dino had displayed throughout the period of time he had stayed in the Sawada residence. He was sure that his ex-tutor had noticed his 'irregular' behaviour, but it was kind of hard to ignore the fact that the Arcobaleno had forgotten about Tsuna. Something he wanted to frown upon, but he had to remain mature and realise it was a situation which would either be eventually handled or fixed over time. That's what he thought at least. His efforts were scarce but the news of Tsuna's arrival made him dwell on the idea of mending the broken bonds. He'd have to meet up with the girl in order to do anything either way.

"_Ieyasu will have to spit out all he knows if we want to know any more. Besides that we'd have to interrogate her."_

"_Ieyasu's sister? You mean… Tsuna?"_

Dino sighed. It was like he was being ostracized when the two Arcobaleno started to bombard him with endless questions. Mainly Reborn.

"You know Tsuna?"

"Can't really say I do know much, but yes." Does he tell him that the two 'infants' knew her much better than him? Although they don't remember?

"Is she the twin of Baka-Ieyasu?" asked Fon.

"She never spoke anything about her… family." It raised a few more questions.

"What does she plan to do with the knowledge of the mafia?"

"She's already part of the mafia. She hasn't harmed another person ever, not that I've heard or seen of," said Dino. He grew weary of answering questions. Honestly, it should be the other way around, but he had already had his own fair share of asking. "The Omerta is something she's well aware of, and she is not the type to use her power for selfish advantage."

"Power?" Reborn raised an eyebrow. From what he had seen, the girl definitely did possess high athletic ability, however, a power seemed more fitting. She was the sibling of Ieyasu (which had been confirmed by the boy himself and others) and so, she must have the Vongola blood running through her veins. If she had unlocked whatever the Vongola blood provided its bearers, then she would pose more than just a threat to the position of the next Vongola boss. She would stir up trouble in the mafia in general with the sudden existence of a new candidate. They were already trying to handle Ieyasu's position, another person would just ruin everything.

Did he say a bit too much? Dino asked himself whether it would be wise for him to say more. In the end, Reborn would wring out all the information he knew about her either way. So now or never.

"She bears pure sky flames. She has this way of knowing what's going to happen," he said. He wasn't going to mention the night flames. She no longer held them anymore. "She puts everyone first before her." Unnecessary additional information, but he said it either way. In figurative numbers, the two Arcobaleno were about a year and a bit older than him. They would still have those teenage mood swings and irritations.

Fon looked at Reborn, who had taken the toll of the information. Fon, being someone who was not directly connected to the Vongola, would not have any repercussions of the situation but for Reborn it was a different case. He was ordered by Nono who had specifically told him to coach Ieyasu into Vongola Decimo. Despite that, he would have to continue to do so even with the new 'candidate.' But Reborn was just one person. Although he may be the number one hitman in the world, he can't predict the future. He wouldn't know whether the girl would decide to ever usurp the position of Vongola Decimo. Judging by what Dino had said, the girl was most likely to be far more powerful than Ieyasu in terms of flames. But Reborn had yet to assess that with his own eyes. He had to remain patient, even though that was not something he was good at.

The trio continued their discussion of the circumstances they faced, allowing the eavesdropper to listen in.

He felt confused and sick. He was angry but gained some sort of ecstasy as he knew that Tsuna was stronger than him. It was just a pass of thoughts but wouldn't it be interesting to see her be weakened to the state of being so disorientated that she'd just slip away? He imagined scenarios as they played out in his mind. If only time could stop. But it doesn't. That's just how life goes. He began to question a few things himself.

What if he couldn't regain the sister he once had? He was sure she had barely changed, but how could he reassure himself that she truly didn't change at all? His breath hitched as his thoughts contorted. He retained his composition as he settled his weight on to his feet. He had already heard enough. If Dino knew her previously, that's okay. If she was more powerful than him, that's okay. And as long Tsuna remained his sister, that was okay too.

…

She deserved some merit for escaping the black haired teenager. He literally sped after her like a madman with that evil glint in his eye. Who wouldn't be somewhat afraid? Tsuna took a deep breath as she scaled the stairs, towards the rooftop of the school. It was some time after school.

Most students had already left but some remained as the sun had yet to set. The corridors were brightly lit by the natural lighting and occasionally occupied by a student travelling from a place to another. Some, curious of the noise coming from two certain students, grew scared as they recognised one to be the demon of the school and the other as some girl to fall into the demon's wrath.

"Oh boy…" She almost sounded like Mickey Mouse as she spoke the two words in English. She slammed the roof door with a little too much strength in panic and closed the door after her. Besides, it would be at least some sort of hindrance towards her chaser. She was rather apathetic to the fact he had chased after her, but if someone ran after you, you'd run too. Why the boy was chasing her, she didn't know, but judging from the other teenager's expression, it indicated the fact she did something fancy or she was at a place at the wrong time.

She had been looking for a place to stay when she wanted to skip class or just hang around. She mainly stuck around rooms in which she did not sense any significant movement, rooms which hadn't been cleaned recently and quiet places. One of them, happened to 'belong' to the person who was chasing after her.

She persisted to run away from him since he gave off bad vibes, but a little adrenaline wouldn't hurt. A tear felt thought came into mind. She didn't really want to end off the chase, but she had to. She had things to start, do and finish. One of which was homework and another was something about Ieyasu. Both completely unrelated, but of significant importance.

Teetering at the edge of the roof, the roof top door slammed open. The two teenagers made eye contact, only to break away as Tsuna stepped off the building. The Disciplinary Committee Leader narrowed his eyes as he leapt forward, to witness… nothing? In the split second that took him to get to Tsuna's previous position, she had already flung herself through a conveniently opened window of a classroom. Luckily, people didn't see what happened. Except it wasn't _people_, but _a person. _Going by the name of Yamamoto Takeshi.

Eh. It must have just been the light. A person can't just suddenly become orange and disappear in a flash.

…

Simply insane. Fatuous. Foolish. Whatever you want to call them. But hey, they're called the Varia and they're not known for maintaining peaceful entries. Almost blowing up half the street was probably part of the reason why they had caused so much trouble. The members were all quite the enigma. One seemed as though he were constantly out for blood, one for authority and power, one to serve, one to accumulate money, one to beat up the annoying leader and one who simply wanted to see what sort of fashion Japan had to offer.

Were they here to take the position of Vongola Decimo? Yes. Were they here to see who this 'Ieyasu' person was? Yes. Were they here to find out whether the girl was in Japan or not? No. (Fucking tsunderes.)

They had scared the population of the main shopping district - who had all ran off, to go home or hide in a building. Those unaware of the incoming 'danger' were the Varia. Yes, the threat was not them. The _true _threat was a pissed off Iemitsu. He was, grudgingly, dragged with the Varia (who also seemed to not want to have anything to do with the CEDEF leader) in order to supervise the battle between the Varia and Ieyasu and his guardians. Not something he wanted to deal with but since he was eager to meet his family, he beared with it.

So, Iemitsu disapproved of the Varia's ways, but they were approved by Nono. It was a rather large controversy in the Vongola HQ as it was both unexpected and bewildering for _the _Varia to go by the 'rules.' Although, supervision of the Cervello was required – women in some sort of organisations in which Iemitsu had never heard of.

Due to the sudden appearance of the Varia, they would be allowing Ieyasu a week of preparation – a condition Nono set in place which the Varia only just barely agreed to. They had notified the Sun Arcobaleno of their arrival, so all they had to do was wait. As restless as they were, obviously, they'd have to find something to waste some time on.

"If you don't want to get 'warned' by the Vindice, stay low and away from the citizens," said Iemitsu and he was off on his way.

The threat of the Vindice didn't seem to have as much impact Iemitsu planned. No, the Varia weren't exactly aware of what had happened within the last couple months but yes, they had realised that Tsuna had gone off on a 'journey.' With 'Mammon' returning to them, it was already strange enough that the Mist Arcobaleno no longer held belief that a little girl lived with the Vindice. The Varia may seem to have acted brainlessly in many cases, but they were intelligent to an extent. They had proved to 'Mammon' that she had been fond of this brunette who once resided at the Vindice Manor. How they did it was via the seemingly endless amount of pictures of the girl along with 'donations' in the Arcobaleno's bank account. It took weeks of reasoning, and as the proud member of the Varia, Mammon, although did not regain any memories, finally accepted that the girl was once part of the life she doesn't remember. The life of 'Viper' - the name she used outside of work.

"Mu, what do we do now?"

"Use that disgusting thoughtography of yours," snorted Belphegor. What else?

Mammon glowered from the insult to her ability. "To find the girl you spoke of?" Mammon asked. _Who else? _Was the expression the prince responded with. Mammon sneezed onto a piece of paper, the spit shaping into the structure of some sort of building surrounded by other strange structures. Well that wasn't going to help, but it at least confirmed that they were somewhat close.

"Useless like you," sneered Belphegor. The illusionist and knife thrower glared at each other, imagining how to throttle each other. Belphegor, being in a better position, grabbed the infant by the cheek and began squishing them. They were like the Mochi sweets that Japan had.

"VOI WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?"

"Shut your trap, shark trash," growled Xanxus. All the members were equally annoyed. Waiting, especially for a week, was not a specialty for the Varia. And they had _promised _to not break the rules. It was miraculous they hadn't gone off the hook the moment they landed in Japan.

With the streets empty, they strolled along, occasionally stopping at random points to inspect stores or explore Namimori's landmarks. Lussuria, being the most energetic, hopped ahead, bouncing from one clothes store to another. All the members were dismissed and each left to nestle somewhere else to pass time. The Varia were just being normal sight-seers. Nothing to be afraid of, no?

…

"A week," Reborn repeated.

"You're kidding me right?" said Ieyasu, backing away from the Arcobaleno.

"Do I look like the type to joke around?" _Yes, considering the countless times of weird cosplay and ideas you come up with._

Ieyasu ruffled his hair in frustration. Only having just been notified about the ring battles, of course he'd be vexed. The ring battles were put in place by Vongola Nono, the current boss of the Vongola Famiglia as Reborn told him, and the Varia. Apparently it was a way for him and his guardians to fight 'fair and square' for them to deserve and earn the title of Vongola Decimo. Ieyasu's actions, although were rash in the beginning, toned down, but that did not mean that his thoughts had loss his self-righteous rationality. Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo, Hibari and the newly gained Gokudera. Technically, he had the guardians, but he was missing a 'mist' guardian – said by Reborn. It would have to do as the Varia were missing a cloud guardian. But that wouldn't compensate as it was rumoured for the Varia to have an extremely strong illusionist. An opponent both new and unknown to the younger teenagers. It was one of the rare times that Ieyasu honestly believed that he would have to turn to Reborn's help. And of course, Reborn was already on top of it.

If they had to make do, the next course of action would be training Ieyasu whilst finding Leon. Without the help of the green reptile, his work had definitely increased in difficulty. But he had managed. With at least some intel and connection with the lizard, it pointed towards an area on the outskirts of Namimori. It wasn't accurate but it was enough. If he could find Leon, he would find the girl and perhaps a potential of people who gathered around her. She was also a sky, after all. She had Gokudera under her wing and it wouldn't be surprising to Reborn if she had more. Either way, it wasn't like he would be 'stealing' her guardians since they weren't guardians. Tsuna wasn't well aware of her position as the future Vongola Decimo's sister, so it meant that she doesn't _technically_ guardians, but rather accomplices of the sort. It would be a mere 'borrow' before Ieyasu secured his position. It was a last resort, but the most effective out of the plans Reborn had.

"What are some places outside but close to Namimori?" The question didn't faze the boy as he started to rattle off some places. Not many but a lot to get around to. Utilizing modern technology, Reborn researched the areas, finding most not suited the information his intel provided. He managed to pinpoint a certain location, an abandoned theme park of the sorts. First priority would be to train Ieyasu but he would need Leon for that. Reborn had already alerted Ieyasu's guardians of the upcoming battle, each of them having their own approaches in order to train and fight. He had even sent Dino to train Hibari. Fon went to see to the progress of Yamamoto and find a suitable trainer for Ryohei. Shamal was requested by Gokudera for help and Lambo was… it wasn't wholly agreed on, but the plan was to make sure he was not going to be harmed.

Reborn set out towards the location, leaving Ieyasu to train by himself. The boy was already athletic. Reborn merely gave him a _little _push and gave him a list of tasks to complete. If he didn't then, that would be the end of Ieyasu. Reborn knew that Ieyasu disliked the competition and threat of the Varia but he would have to utilise Ieyasu's strong will of winning. It wasn't a bad will but it did come with risks that the hitman was willing to take.

He arrived at Kokuyo Land. As silent as it was, he could sense at least 5 people. He pushed forward, ignoring any risks of alerting the people of his presence. As soon as he reached his destination, the atmosphere became stiff and suffocating. He smirked. _Illusions_. _Then the girl had secured an illusionist, _he concluded.He wouldn't lose himself to the illusions – if he did then he'd have lost himself. Although some people would beg to differ that he has already lost himself.

"Kufufu, well look who's here. The hitman himself." Reborn stood at the entrance of a large hall, where Tsuna and a few others were seated, except the only one standing who was a teenager with a strange hairstyle resembling a pineapple. Unfamiliar but the boy knew him. The boy was mafia related, most likely.

"Return Leon," Reborn said, ignoring the illusionist's statement. Tsuna honestly found it misfortunate for the hitman. Was he really that impatient? She had somewhat forgotten just how crabby Reborn could be and with the infantile form, it didn't really help her with that. The green reptile seemed unsure of his return to his master, but returned to Reborn otherwise.

"There. Safe and sound," she said, as she turned back to her lively chatter with the Kokuyo gang members. It was believed that Reborn was dismissed but he refused to leave without answers.

"I need to speak with you."

"Another time Reborn."

Chrome, the one who was the most worried in this situation (although wasn't required to be) looked back and forth between the Arcobaleno and the brunette. She had heard about how the two were but… was it really okay for Tsuna to just send away Reborn? That's when Tsuna looked back up at Chrome and gave her a solemn look.

"Chrome, you and I are just what Reborn is looking for, you know? I can't force you to go, but if you want you can come with me. Reborn's not the type to back down," said Tsuna. Tsuna knew she was being selfish but she was a prudent person. It would be the only, first and last time she'd act like that. It was obvious that Reborn had been eying Mukuro for his illusions, but technically Mukuro and Chrome were the same person, but not at the same time. The silence and unassertiveness from Chrome merely confirmed that she did not want to go. Then Tsuna would go by herself. That was all fine by her.

"Is she an illusionist as well?" questioned Reborn, now curious about Chrome. There was some resemblance between the two illusionists, as if they were siblings or it was just the hairstyle.

"Yes. But you probably would rather have Mukuro here, correct?" She gestured towards Mukuro who was currently amusedly staring at Reborn. The hitman did not speak. As she sighed, she rose from her seat and walked over, towards Reborn.

"It's about time I say hello to the Sawada family." Why she referred to the Sawada family, as if they were not her family, Reborn did not know why. The pair left Kokuyo Land and made their way to the Sawada residence with Reborn sitting on her shoulder. It was quite different to Ieyasu's broader shoulders and considerably taller height.

"Iemitsu has returned apparently." Reborn felt the girl's body stiffen for a moment.

"I guess that's good news. Has he not visited his family often?" she asked, as she continued walking.

"No. He hasn't visited his wife or child… children for about 6 to 7 years." Tsuna wasn't surprised. "Why do you refer to him as if he wasn't your father?" She scoffed.

"It's not like I really grew up around him or Ieyasu and Nana. I went to Italy on my own accord."

"Without a parent?"

"I did go with a guardian. You know them quite well actually," Tsuna replied, reminiscing the first time _they _all met.

"Still suspicious."

"At least your common sense hasn't been affected by _that_." She continued.

"…" _Affected by what? _He would have asked. Needless to say, he already knew the answer and it was slowly irritating him again.

…

**Thanks for reading.**

Uploaded: 14th July


	23. Chapter 23 - Utopiosphere Part 2

**Here's the second part of Utopiosphere.**

…

"Reborn-kun? Who is this girl?"

There was no sign of recognition from the elder woman. Tsuna wasn't necessarily surprised, but to Reborn, it seemed as if Tsuna was simply indifferent to the reaction. Nana, he had noted, was oblivious to most things. Unaware about her son's situation was a positive in his book since that way it would make it easier for him to openly train the boy into Vongola Decimo. But sometimes, the woman took it a notch too far.

"This is Tsunayoshi," Reborn grimaced. There shouldn't have been the need for an introduction in the first place. He personally held nothing against the woman. But for a mother to forget about her own child? She deserved some judgement at least. There seemed to be some sort of gear which started to move in the woman's brain and slowly recognised the girl. No emotion showed on the woman's face but Tsuna could tell from the feeling alone - the repulsion the woman gave off. Tsuna knew that the Arcobaleno had no idea what could possibly be going on in Nana's head, so it was for the best, she supposed, to supress those feelings of dismay at bay. She sometimes hated the fact she just knew what a person was thinking. She respected people privacy and often preferred to not meddle in others' personal business, but her intuition kept interfering with her morals.

Nana opened her mouth to speak, her voice cracked slightly. "Why, it's been a while. I couldn't even recognise you!" She exclaimed with fake laughter, trying to act as if warming up to a child she had not met in a long time. Too bad that didn't go unnoticed by Reborn.

Perhaps it was the fact that the woman was disgusted by the presence of the girl. But it could have been the fact that the girl was still alive. The girl was useless, 'dame,' and for her life to have expanded to her teens, she obviously had done something to manipulate people in order to care for her. Despicable. That's what she thought and what Nana's words reflected.

"Have you troubled your previous carers so much that they told you to return?" Tsuna remained silent. She would not tolerate the woman to force her into a corner like she used to. The 'mother' that stood in front of her was not someone who showed true emotions and in general, love for family. The 'mother' never gave the affection she showed to Ieyasu, to Tsuna, nor, had she ever allowed the girl to impede on her businesses and special moments with her twin. One of which was when the mother was playing with her 'family.' The smallest slip up would earn Tsuna a slap to the face or a beating if the woman was enraged enough. Tsuna supressed a shudder as she thought back to the countless times that had happened.

"Or did you leave them like you left us?" Nana feigned innocence and distress. The one who was more distressed in this situation should have been Tsuna, but she had a clear goal and a mindset. She may still be scared of this woman, but she was not cowardly enough to not stand her ground. Having grown up in a household of Mafioso, if she couldn't handle this woman, then she wouldn't get anywhere further than being 'Dame-Tsuna.' That's why she was just so… _indebted _to the Vindice and Arcobaleno.

"Yeah, you're right. Something happened so I had to leave my carers. But you're wrong about one thing," said Tsuna with a bright smile laced with menace. Reborn raised an eyebrow at the girl's retort. He had thought of the girl to be aloof in a way, so for her to have some of that fight in her was… actually, not all surprising. She had the blood of the Vongola, after all. "Not once have I ever thought about returning to this place, and besides, I'm already here. You may as well welcome your daughter."

"Mum?" a voice echoed from within the house. Nana's growing dark expression disappeared in a flash as she turned towards the source of the voice. Footsteps approached the trio as Ieyasu came into view. Reborn was the first to speak.

"Baka Ieyasu, why aren't you training?" Reborn would have preferred to have no one else to disrupt the conversation that Nana and Tsuna were having for various reasons. One of which, was that he could focus better on the two's expressions and thoughts that accompanied them. That way, he could reach a better understanding of the situation in which the girl and her 'mother' were in. Right now, he simply felt pissed off at both females' words. He had no direct information nor header to what has actually happened between the two. Although many would argue, he was not a mind reader. But he was good at deducting – something that many would also argue about.

Tsuna's attention was then turned towards Reborn's question. Training for what? Was it already so soon that the mafia had issued a death fight to her brother? That thought was dense of her. She pretty much knew it was going to happen when Reborn had come to look for her and in search of an illusionist.

"I thought that- dad?" The group all snapped their attention towards the blond man who arrived at the residence, a puzzled look on his face. That was until the man's eyes landed on the brown haired girl.

"Well looks like the whole family's here," said Tsuna as she laughed lightly, a rising feeling of anxiety started to take over her body. Unlike Nana, Iemitsu recognised Tsuna upon sight. Just knowing that, Tsuna could feel the pit of her stomach tighten and her throat dry up.

…

"Are you worried about her?" Mukuro nonchalantly glanced towards Chrome's direction as he twirled his trident around. He was bored. Sure, the lifestyle he lived now was interesting but he had long gotten used to everyone's' antiques. It wasn't a bad thing, he commented, but the lack of action sure was _frustrating _to him. The little dispute he had with the pompadours from Namimori Middle was to pass time. Then the whole arrival of Tsuna changed that fact. But, obviously, Tsuna was not present at where they were, having gone off to her meet with her family and Reborn.

Chrome sat still, thinking about her lack of action. If she had went with Tsuna, then perhaps she wouldn't have felt as worried for the brunette? The girl seemed like she needed some form of company besides the baby hitman. And the one time that Tsuna had acted so selfishly to ask for Chrome's company, the purple haired girl had declined. It was a literal guilt trip for both Chrome and Tsuna. They brought it upon themselves, either way. A small sigh could be imagined if Tsuna had ever gazed upon Chrome's state of anxiety.

She had not known Tsuna for a long time, but in the short amount of time in which the two had kept each other company, Tsuna was a bright and enthusiastic girl to Chrome. She had the willpower of a Nokia brick phone. Long lasting and unbroken. The brunette had a bottomless source of power which had kept her going and such wide boundaries that allowed even the most careful people to willingly (and unknowingly) enter. Some of those 'careful' people included Mukuro. But this time, it was different. This was the first time she had felt the mental strength of the brunette had weakened so much. As an illusionist, Chrome found that she would often get attracted to weakened states of mind, such as terror and anxiety. The girl she met was strong and formidable. The girl who was in front of her was just tired and compliant, needing a long break from whatever the fuck was happening.

When Tsuna left the Kokuyo Land hall, she could tell that there was some sort of weight that dragged the girl back. Without proper knowledge about the situation with Tsuna and the select others involved, Chrome had no right to butt into her and their affairs, but it didn't seem as though that was the case.

"You can ask me you know." Mukuro was not the type to assure others, nor allow others to lean on him. He was also not the type to be caring for others, not even those who were the closest to him.

"What did you think of her when you first met her?" Chrome asked. A simple questions, with too many answers.

"Kufufu," he paused after the light chuckle and with a serious face he said, "She was a stupid girl." Dumbfounded by the abrupt answer, Chrome pushed on. The usually soft voiced girl wanted answers. And her undying curiosity would continue to aid her to do so.

"Why?"

"She got me out of that hell place. Anyone in the right mind wouldn't even _think_ about that. She… and the hitman are both stupid people." Chrome had heard that Reborn assisted in the escape of Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa to an extent of detail. "That hitman was like a pawn to Tsuna. She had reasoned with him to let her save us. Ah, did I mention that she had both him, the number one hitman and the _Vindice_, the law makers of the mafia, right under her thumb?"

"…" _Once or twice, but I didn't really believe it. But after meeting her… I can see why it's bother believable and not at the same time._

"Kufufu~" Oh well, it was a story for another time. It had always required some time for Chrome to even adjust to any information that Mukuro had stated.

"Oi, why don't you ever ask us anything?" opined Ken, twiddling with one of his animal channel fangs. It wasn't fair on him.

"It's because you're intimidating," said Chikusa, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The pair weren't always on the friendliest of terms, but one could argue that they were rather close. After all, Mukuro had witnessed the countless times that the two tried and succeeded to keep each other alive and, of course, keep him alive. It was an inseparable bond that the trio kept. Something like a small insult wouldn't tear it apart. That would just be plain dumb… and an interesting aspect to Mukuro.

"Damn rude, kaki-pi, mind your own business." No reply from the silent teenager.

"T-then, what did you think about Tsuna?" asked Chrome to the blond. It was true that Chrome was intimidated by the blond to a point, but she wasn't afraid of him. It was just that he would often get irritated easily at her for being too close to Mukuro. She would then be told multiple times by the pineapple haired male not to mind it as it was a sort of mechanism that Ken had to fend off people he did not know well and protect himself. With that in mind, it merely affirmed that there was no need to be intimidated by him but one could only hold that much courage to do so.

"Uh…" Mukuro chuckled to himself, clearly remembering the look of the ever so hopeful boy as the group were given the chance to leave the Estraneo labs. Speak for himself, he was the one who had yearned so much for freedom. Ken shot an irritated look at Chrome and avoided the _real _question as a whole. "She's strong…" Silence ensued.

"Would you save her if she needed help?" asked Mukuro, a smirk widening by the second. The question wasn't directed to anyone in specific, but everyone answered the question in their minds. And every single one of them said something along the lines of 'yes.'

"Kufufu, then let's go repay a part of our debt to her, shall we?"

…

A disease. That's what Reborn saw how Iemitsu reacted to Tsuna. A fucking disease. He didn't want to go near 'this disease,' touch it, talk to it, nor make any contact with it. Reborn remained calm, a strange force maiming the way he acted in these situations. Although, _these situations_ were common in the mafia world. And he had personally encountered such situations multiple times. Of course, he wasn't exactly the subject in the matter, but he had seen the countless numbers of parent to child relationships before. But from the Young Lion of the Vongola? No. Not really. From what he had heard, the man had only _one _child – being Ieyasu, of course. So when he 'first met' the girl, he thought she was unrelated to his student.

The man who stood in front of everyone dearly loved his family. Or at least was left of it. Yeah, call Nana, Ieyasu and Iemitsu the 'leftovers' of the Sawada family. Reborn almost didn't care until he reminded himself of his duty. It was his duty to raise and tutor Ieyasu into the next boss of the Vongola Famiglia. He could indulge in these matters at any time, since they now directly concerned him. But Tsuna? Did she even consider herself as part of the family? He knew too little about her to even come to a conclusion. Something that he has almost never been faced with.

"Reborn, I'd like you leave us alone." The Arcobaleno watched as the man passed by him and Tsuna into the house. Accepting the condition set by the blond man, Reborn leapt off to somewhere else, away from the reunion of the Sawada family.

"Look, I-" started Tsuna warily. She was then glared down by the 'parents.' Ieyasu simply watched from the shadows, seemingly pleased with the turnout of the situation. He was also somewhat agitated.

"No one wants you, so why don't you just leave us all alone?" asked the woman, a nasty scowl on her 'always smiling' face. Disgust, repulse, whatever you called it, were perhaps only few of many things the woman felt against the girl. Luckily for Nana, the girl didn't feel the same way to her. How fortunate for the woman, but unfortunate for Tsuna. It required a few sacrifices that Tsuna was unwilling to let go. One of which was the bond between her and her blood related family.

"I didn't want to come here too, since it looks like I'm messing up some sort of reunion here," said Tsuna referring to Iemitsu whilst carefully constructing her words. A small slip up could cost her big time. Not because one of the two would then be out to get her, but the fact she was starting to feel more and more unsettled. She had expected a reply from Nana, but instead, got a low growl from Iemitsu.

"You're not fucking dead, for one. I thought you would have gotten picked up by some paedophile off the streets." Tsuna sighed inwardly. She really expected much worse from the man, but considering the fact that Reborn could be likely listening in, there had to be some limit. That's when the impact came, knocking her off guard and slammed to the ground. It didn't really hurt, in all honesty, just a pang of pain. But at least all that training paid off. She just wasn't in the right mood to be dealing with… this. She organised her thoughts. Things were getting muddled up just when she had a clear path to follow.

Nana left the pair and ushered Ieyasu off to his room because he was too 'innocent' to witness any of these events.

"At least you've made it clear that I shouldn't come back here," said Tsuna, getting back up with a grunt. "Besides, I've already decided not to involve any more people in my plans."

The behaviour that Tsuna emitted only infuriated the man, adding fuel to the flames that slowly surfaced. Iemitsu controlled his nerves and calmed down to his rumoured state of 'power.' Recognising the move, she thought about her options. There weren't a lot. And all of them would only continue to anger the man. Making a leave would be the best option. But that unquenchable sadism got the better of her, a small part of the development of her character back at the Vindice manor.

She took a step forward, defying the man. And every step she took, the more collected she became. The correct stance and accompanying thoughts would make the following successful. She was so collected, that the man was starting to get nervous. She placed a hand on his chest, over his heart, as she stood directly in front of Iemitsu. The pulse quickened.

"You hear that?" she said, as she noted the spike in the pulse. "That's fear. You won't realise it yet, but sure enough, that's fear." She pressed on, drawing the flames away from the man's body. Iemitsu, angry and shocked, only felt his energy deplete at an alarming rate. His flames were depleting. That wasn't right.

"I hope we never meet again in this state, Mr Sawada. Farewell." She tore her hand from the man's body, as he collapsed to his knees. He wasn't going to admit defeat like that. This was unheard of. For someone to absorb someone's flames. Impossible. Damnit, he still had the Varia to deal with. He wasn't going to be able to recover within the day and if the girl went even further, he wouldn't have been able to recover for more than a few days. There was just so little time left till the battles between Ieyasu and the Varia.

The door shut quietly behind the girl as she strode out of the Sawada Residence. She wanted to get as far from the house as possible. Away from the little nightmares of her childhood. It was time to move on. The unfamiliar yet familiar flames that she absorbed couldn't be subdued. They weren't as pure as she had hoped, a bit tainted, but there was a sense pride in it. She couldn't bear to say she hated her 'family' although she may have acted as if so. The flames told her the secrets and uncalculatable feelings and emotions that would underline the stoic face of one Sawada Iemitsu. _Rage, hatred, disgust. _The three key feelings she was told from those flames.

She exhaled, feeling the upcoming headache that followed her every move forward. Each pound rendered her weaker and weaker, unconscious. The overload of flames was too much especially when she wasn't going to use them. No one would believe their eyes if they just saw some girl sky rocket through the sky with orange flames.

Footsteps approached her as she turned her body towards them. Falling into their arms dramatically, she warmly smiled at the group who supported her.

_What's my one and true goal…?_

…

"Miserable."

"Are you referring to the family or yourself? Or perhaps both?" asked Fon, playing with his monkey, Lichi. The monkey often reflected the mood of the martial artists. Currently, both were amused at the hitman and trying to supress the feeling of growing concern for each other. They both received a glare from the Sun Arcobaleno.

"Perhaps I'm not in a position to make an opinion in these matters, but maybe you should focus on one thing at a time?" suggested the Storm Arcobaleno. The appearance of the girl was when Reborn had started to look so troubled all the time. It was enough of a change to the usual serious and emotionless hitman, noted Fon.

If it life were to present one thing at a time, then life would have been much easier for Reborn. One after another, some sort of event or troublesome thing would appear. His original goal was to secure an illusionist for the Vongola guardians, was it not? Then he would follow that plan and get one. After that, he would have to make sure the training for Ieyasu was confirmed and developed. At the current rate, Ieyasu wouldn't stand much of a chance against the Varia, much less, his guardians. The guardians in which Ieyasu had were all individually strong, and they all had their own means of training in which Reborn had made sure to oversee. He was responsible for the progress of Ieyasu, but Tsuna only interfered with that. Had she?

All she had done was throw some statements at him, making him question himself and his actions and then get thrown off course. Damn girl. She knew too much. It was safe to say she had a rather extensive bank of knowledge about the mafia compared to general citizens. He had yet to confirm whether the two had met before. But he was sure that the rumoured Mammon of the Varia was to be there. If he required answers, that sly illusionist would be his best choice at the moment. If money was needed, then that would be easily dealt with. However, contacting Vongola Nono wouldn't be recommended. He also needed to inform the boss about the existence of the girl. Or should he not?

The girl didn't seem as though she wanted to have much to do with the Sawada family in general, but she had been bothered about the relationship she had with Ieyasu. They were brother and sister, after all.

"Mu, isn't this an unpleasant sight for eyes?" The voice drew Reborn's and Fon's attention to the source.

"Ushishi~ it's not like we can even see your eyes from underneath that hood of yours."

…

**Thanks for reading and sorry for the late update. This took way longer to write than I thought it would take. **

**Zaira Swift.**

Guest reviews:

_**Guest (14**__**th**__** July)**_: Her parents probably would get a heart attack. And here's the new chapter!

_**LilacMonster: **_Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy! :)

Uploaded: 27th August 2016


	24. Chapter 24 - Utopiosphere Part 3

**Been a while since I last updated... sorry about that.**

…

"Mesmerising, aren't they?" He snorted in reply to that.

"They're fake, that's what they are."

"I'm surprised you haven't thrown a fit about it."

"I've learnt when to be mad and when not to be. Don't test it though," growled Xanxus, barely keeping his teetering anger under control. Lussuria made no comment and simply hummed a small tune only to promptly stop when Xanxus called him out for being annoying with the song.

"Why can't I hum? Is it because Tsu-chan used to hum it?"

"Mention that name another fucking time and I will smash your skull in."

"Scary~" Lussuria smiled to himself. Over the course of the time that Tsuna left, nothing much had really changed. It just occurred to certain individuals that they needed to take responsibility and do the 'correct' things. Of course, it affected Xanxus and he could arguably be the one who had changed the most in the period in which Tsuna was missing.

Both Mammon and Belphegor were out and Squalo went off somewhere to 'rest'. Lussuria would have to tend to the silver haired teen's wounds later on. Out of the Varia, Lussuria was the eldest and he believed that that made him the mother figure of the group. The father, being Squalo since he had the longest hair (not a fair way to judge of course) would often get dragged into the dramas of Lussuria. From cooking to cleaning, Lussuria was the one who did it. Everything else would be pushed onto the 'father' who would end up experiencing back pain and random wounds from the problem child, being Xanxus.

The phone began to ring.

"Pick it up," ordered Xanxus.

"Mou~ alright." Lussuria grabbed the cell phone and put it up to his ear. "Hello~ who is this?"

"Is this Lussuria?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Can you pass the phone to Xanxus?" Lussuria took a glance at Xanxus and reaffirmed the answer to the old man's question.

"No can do. He'll probably start wreaking the place. I have enough to clean already," said Lussuria. The person sighed.

"Tell him I… just sorry."

"Mhm~" The person hung up the call and Lussuria stared at the number, exasperated. The old man just never knew when to give up.

"What'd he say?" asked Xanxus.

"Nono says he's sorry." Xanxus started to bawl with laughter.

"Fucking dumb old man." He stood up, leaving his throne. Instinctively, he looked back to see if "We're going. We'll disable the brats before they can even get the rings."

…

"She has a really serious fever…"

"What happened to her?" asked Gokudera who was out buying food. Gokudera pushed past the group and towards the unconscious girl. He dropped all the bags and rushed towards the girl's side, placing the back of his hand on her forehead.

"We don't know. She collapsed in the middle of the streets," said Ken, munching on an energy bar.

"She absorbed too many flames. She needs to use it if she wants to get any better," said Gokudera, familiar with most of Tsuna's antics. "Do you have a large open space?"

"We could use Kokuyo Land but it'll be troublesome if the foundations start to go brittle," said Mukuro. "It's best if she could, perhaps, use it on a person."

"What are you planning bastard?" Gokudera had always found it difficult to trust the illusionist like he did with everyone else, but it's not like anyone told him he needed to trust the teenager. If it weren't for Tsuna, he probably would have blown the teenager up.

"Perhaps she might have a bit of anger to spare. We don't usually know what she's thinking about," speculated Mukuro. Everyone silently agreed. It was hard to decipher what Tsuna was thinking about even if she would have shown it through body actions. Although, it was not a fair exchange when Tsuna would know what they were thinking about before they even knew themselves.

A splutter alerted the whole group when Tsuna suddenly gained consciousness, flames erupted from her forehead, making Gokudera pull back his hand.

"I... I'll be back..." She sped off outside within seconds, leaving small wisps of flames behind.

"Looks like she's got it sorted herself," said Ken, finishing his energy bar. That snack hit the spot.

"She might not want to show us what she is going to do to get rid of those pent up flames," commented Chikusa. Gokudera glared at him. The teenager was correct to a point, and Gokudera could confirm that.

"Please calm down. If she has done this before," said Chrome to Gokudera, "then she should return as she says."

Gokudera was about to retort something to the girl but bit down on his tongue. At this point, they could only wait. Mukuro glanced at each person, making his own assessment of their current thoughts. They ranged from worry to irritation. He'd say that he were in between the two feelings. He may be heartless but to a point, he was still a human who held respect for others.

…

It was kind of like a riling sneeze that you had been building up and by the time you want to sneeze, it was already gone. That was how Tsuna felt when she was getting rid of her flames. It was extremely uncomfortable and it lasted more than enough time it was required. Of course, the negative vibes that the flames she absorbed from her 'father' reflected her current feelings. She did not want the company of anyone nor did she want to be around anyone because she was afraid she would lash out at them without her own accord.

In these times, although rare, she would be at both peace and unease – a major disadvantage to her own character, she believed. She had dove into the river and stayed there until her flames had returned her composure. Resting by the concrete slabs that relayed with the river, she closed her eyes and took steady breaths. There was never a really good time to take a breather and put troubles aside, so this was a chance she wanted to uptake and make use of. To her surprise her little golden moment dissipated as soon as she heard a very familiar shout.

"VOOOI!" It had been a long time. Would they remember her? They weren't affected by the Arcobaleno curse, but then Viper, or Mammon if she went by that name, would have. If she were still correct, the Varia would have already done their job and either left her to do whatever or did something else that was just as outrageous as their personalities.

She heard some muffled childish voices along with a notorious laugh of a crazed teenager. She smiled to herself. It was like being Rick Rolled after a few years, a noteworthy, happy yet slightly peeving experience. She was probably just being prude since she wasn't in her best state, but she made sure she was out of sight if they were to look down from the bridge above.

Feeling the hot skin of her forehead, she groaned at the pain that came after. A small ringing echoed in her head and her ears, and her entire body felt numb yet sensitive. Distracting herself, she took some of the water from the river and splashed it onto her face. She commended Japan for how clean their rivers were, but it was too risky to drink it.

With the thought of drinking water, she felt the prickle in her throat, crying out for the slightest drop of liquid. She heard an awfully loud splash but paid no attention to it since she was already dealing with her own bodily problems. Turning her head around after she was done, she was instantaneously faced with wet long silver hair. She grabbed hold of it out of habit and smelt the slightest hint of shampoo that she had once recommended to the other teenager.

One glance, and she could tell that the silver haired teenager was going to do something stupid. The widening shark like smirk and the eyes of a crazed person were enough for Tsuna to tell what was going to happen next. She didn't mind it, so she would let him do whatever.

He grabbed her by the collar and hauled her over his shoulder then leapt up to the ground level to the bridge above them. She wasn't able to see what was in front of them, or should she say, in front of Squalo, since she was slung over his shoulder, head against his back. There was no requirement for her to see any more familiar faces at this point. The Varia was fine, but her intuition told her there were more people present than the Varia.

"Ushishi~ what a haul you got sharky. Was that when you went for a dive?"

"VOI, you kicked me into there."

"That's where a shark belongs. Besides, you could have avoided it."

"I could have, you fuc-" Squalo felt a sharp jab in his back. Tsuna may be tired and in pain, but she wasn't immobile.

"You've wasted enough time, Varia. Who is that that you are carrying?" asked someone.

"No-one that you should know of really," said Belphegor. He twirled a knife and threw it aimlessly at one of the others who simply dodged it. Before anyone else could act, the Varia and the girl had already disappeared in mist.

…

The easiest target was the cow kid. He was stupid to have gone with two normal girls and other kids to wherever. The fact that he was even accepted as Vongola Guardian was outrageous. Leviathan, the one who had pretty much been forgotten by the entire Varia, had already went off with his own assigned task to take the Lightning ring off the child. He believed that he would earn a little more attention by his boss if he eliminated one person from the battle.

Just as he was about to strike, another teenager appeared in front of him. Sky flames bursted out of his forehead and palms and had already readied to start the incoming fight. The first to attack was Levi, since he had already readied his umbrellas. The lightning strike was avoided and the teenager sprinted up to him. Close combat wasn't his best area of expertise. He was usually at the back of the Varia to support them with his long and midrange attacks. Barely dodging a kick, Levi stepped back, only to get pummelled in the face with a flame filled fist. The pain shook him, but he remained on his feet.

To believe that he was the candidate for the Vongola Decimo… it was definitely comedic. The cow kid could wait. If the person in front of him truly was the candidate, then it wouldn't be a problem for Xanxus to win. And if he, Leviathan, were able to beat him before his boss, then he would earn some respect. Not a lot, but it was enough for him. He regained his confidence and began to attack again with his umbrellas. He couldn't risk using his more major moves, or it would end up ruining the landscape. Something that he was told to avoid, in order to not leave traces or alert unwanted 'guests' to their fight, or child's play as Levi would call it.

He almost connected the tip of his umbrella to the boy's chest when he was pulled back by a hidden force. The one who had been fighting him, stood still, confused. His opponent was no longer in his sight, and it sent his paranoia to its limits.

Ieyasu collected himself, allowing the flames to dissipate. He had managed to learn the Zero Point Breakthrough. He really wanted to test it out but it seemed as though his chance had already disappeared. He returned to the girls and kids and assisted them home.

"What did you do that for?" growled Levi, "I was just about to kill him." Levi, salty at his abrupt ending with the fight, shot glares at Squalo. He then trailed his line of sight to the package on Squalo's shoulder. A girl.

"W-what are you doing with a girl?"

"I swear I'm going to cut off your head if you're going to make another assumption."

"Eh, he's too slow to realise either way. May as well tell him," said Belphegor nonchalantly, twirling knives around his fingers.

"Shut up, knife freak," said Squalo. The group advanced towards the direction in which they were hiding out until the ring battles.

"Is she awake?"

"No." Belphegor confirmed it by swiping Tsuna's hair back with his hand, noticing the closed eyes.

"Then all good."

"She sleeps like a log until she feels the need to wake up," Squalo commented.

"Yeah, we know."

"That's the problem you shi-" Another jab in the back. He couldn't even blame it on Belphegor for not making sure if she were awake.

He really wished that the girl was never blessed with intuition. Or maybe it was her personality or whatever it was that made her into a human swearing sensor, he wanted to make sure that it never existed. It fucking hurt when she dug an elbow in between his ribs. At this rate, she could have broken a few more than 3 ribs.

"Do you think she minds?"

"She doesn't really care about these things. If she did, she would have left herself."

"And left a nice slap as well," added Belphegor.

"I'll be giving you a nice slap when my hands aren't full," said Squalo.

"How terrifying. You know not to hurt a Prince."

…

It was always nice to feel a warm embrace. Lambo snuggled himself into Mama's arms and complained about how I-Pin always got her attention. Nana shook her head and said that was not the case. Currently, Nana was probably not happy to even look at another girl. The situation in which she was in with Tsuna sent her skin crawling and it angered her. The brunette had the nerve to face them again and make such a scene.

Iemitsu, did not take it any better. After their encounter, the man had been bedridden for the entire day and only just forced himself out of bed to make sure all the kids wouldn't suspect him for being too out of action. He was groggy and his sight was just a haze. It felt like he was in blazing heat and could just see the ripples in the air. Basil, his assistant and second son, had been taking care of him while he was down and had already gone through some errands to keep trouble at bay.

The pair had a vague idea of where the Varia were going to stay whilst they were in Japan and were pretty sure that they were already after the kids' heads. Something also lay in the far back of Iemitsu's mind. He had contacted Nono and described the flame draining move that the _little bitch _had used against him. For fucks sake, he was her father and she dared to go against him?

"Basil."

"Yes, Sawada-dono?"

"I am giving you an order. Tell no one of this." The boy nodded. "There is a girl. I want you to kill her."

The dirty blond haired boy widened his eyes in surprise. Such an order to carry out… They were not meant to bring in women and children into the mafia's ways. He, personally, hadn't exactly killed many people, but of the ones he had, none of them were young _or_ female. It wasn't really something that females were meant to be protected, it was just not… a common case to kill females. Still sexist by all means, but it wasn't like anyone really said anything against it. Oregano was one of many respected females in the mafia and she didn't give a damn.

"Can thou describe her appearance?"

"Brown hair, light brown eyes. Her name is Tsuna. The moment you see her, kill her."

"Is there anything else?"

"You'll know. The moment you see her." Then he was dismissed.

Tsuna. Brown hair, light brown eyes. It sounded like a really common girl. But what had she done to go against his boss? Basil was generally one of the kindest boys you would probably ever meet. Of course, even he had his own persona when he was carrying out his mafia duties. He usually despised it, but it was what had kept him alive all these years. And if it had not been for Iemitsu, he would have been dead or still in the slums, barely alive. For now, he could only trust his boss's judgement. If he wanted the girl dead then, he would do it for him.

It seemed as though that nowadays… no one seemed to ever go with their own judgement. How… sad.

The notorious eavesdropper walked away from the room, a menacing aura surrounded him.

'_I won't let you. I'm going to get her first.' _

…

"I'm not into little kids, but some of them are hunks~" Lussuria fawned over one of their muscles.

"At least admire them when they're dead," said Xanxus, obviously disgusted. It was a very simple process to secure the teens. One, lure them. Two, knock them out. Who knew that the Varia had enough morality not to go straight for the kill. But the reasons for that were, one, Tsuna, two, Lussuria – who believed that the reward and personal gains of keeping them alive was far greater than having them dead.

Ryohei, Gokudera and Yamamoto. Those were their names. In comparison to Lussuria and Xanxus, the two were like ants. Not fire ants, just your household ant who had lost their bite, vulnerable to absolutely everything, even the elements. Funny that they would say elements when it was already so close to the battles.

The trio of the teenagers were already rendered unable to move with the ropes that bound them. But it was also a hassle to the Xanxus and Lussuria, since they'd have to continuously drag them about. Either way, it was just Lussuria doing the handiwork since Xanxus refused to do any unnecessary labour.

"Mou it's getting dark already. Maybe we should just initiate the warning."

"Do it then." Lussuria went through the pockets of the teenagers and found a mobile device, exactly what they required. There was no passcode required, which was surprising, but that saved them the effort to call up Belphegor. The self-proclaimed prince was still a genius, after all. They went through the phone contacts and came across the name Ieyasu. That was all the required. They called the number.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. _"Hello?"

"Hi there~ I have your friends here. Short white haired kid, silver haired and black haired kid. You might want to find us or you won't be able to fight in the battles~"

"… Where are you?"

"From where I am, I see- AGH!" The grip on Lussuria's neck tightened as Lussuria refused to end the call. Gleaming green eyes glared into Lussuria's, despite the barrier of his sunglasses. Lussuria, already struggling, ended the call and was promptly let go. Unsure what had actually happened, he turned to Xanxus who just watched his struggle. He was definitely unimpressed having seen a younger teenager be able to sort of subdue the eldest of the Varia. Having a hand with nails digging into your neck was not nice.

The silver haired teenager had managed to get out of his binds and get up and going.

"I don't think it would be very wise of you to call… Ieyasu." Lussuria, coughing, pushed out a question.

"Why?"

"I'll tell you if you let go of the others."

"Aww but they were my favourites out of you three," said Lussuria. Xanxus made no move to help his subordinate who was getting threatened by the silver haired teenager. It was rather clear that the teenager was not an expert in close combat, but rather, the agility was more seemingly of a mid to long range fighter. Xanxus could imagine him going against Belphegor. That was a fucking compliment by all means, to match up to a Varia member. Lussuria silently asked the Varia boss for any agreement of sorts. The indifference just confirmed that there would be no issue with letting go of the white and black haired teenagers, who were woken up.

"What? Where am I to the extreme?"

"Hm? Gokudera?"

"Make a run for it." He really didn't want any further troubles to occur. The two were forced to run away, perhaps to get more help. Then it left Gokudera, Lussuria and Xanxus.

"I recognise you," spat Xanxus, finally noticing the familiar features of the silverette. It was getting dark to make out specific facial features.

"Glad you recognise me. You bunch usually just forget about things. I bet you guys just forgot about Tsuna." He took too many steps too far. Tsuna was like a trigger. Even the Varia were wary of the whole topic of Tsuna. No one really knew why it annoyed Xanxus so much, because it was only him who had that reaction. A gun was already aimed at the silverette's head. Was he afraid of death, here and now? Yes. Was it necessary for him to have said that? Not particularly. He probably would have been throttled by Tsuna if she heard.

"BOSSUUUU!" The course of the gun went from Gokudera's head to the incoming group, the rest of the Varia. Xanxus, with no care, shot at Levi who sprinted towards them. Leviathan made no effort to avoid the attack and took it straight on. If it had been a serious attack, he wouldn't have been left with no injuries. But it was a serious attack. Why weren't there any injuries? Xanxus' eyes switched from person to person and landed on Squalo with the brown baggage on his shoulder. Of course, his question was 'what the fu-' but it was instantly answered when a ball of flames were thrown at him by the one and only person who was on Squalo's shoulder.

"T-Tsuna-san! How did the bastards get you- What happened? I thought you were resting." The panic started to take over Gokudera. He knew that Tsuna was capable of taking care of herself, even in the down times where she was recovering from the lack or excess of flames. To have been caught by the Varia, of all people, was just extremely unsettling. Sure, they used to be 'friends' of the sorts but that never meant that Gokudera was to like the Varia.

"You guys are just so loud. Sometimes I need a little bit of rest. I don't usually get the time to chill. But what was I expecting from the Varia of all people?" complained Tsuna, then slapped Squalo who earnt some sniggers from Belphegor. She continued to complain. "_Oh this is Squalo here. I'm just going to take someone I know from their resting place. _You're the type of person to not even let the dead rest in peace you know." Belphegor's sniggers started to grow louder, that was until Tsuna slapped him. "And I thought that Bel here would be smarter, like he always says he is, the great genius. But noooo, you just gotta let Squalo do whatever."

Tsuna glanced at Mammon but did not make any comment. She then looked at Levi and just sighed. There really wasn't anything she should say about him. Mainly because it just seemed like a waste of effort. Call it out of character or personality change, bipolar or whatever, she was tired, mad and hungry. A great combination that no female, or anyone, should be subject to.

A great howl of laughter caught everyone's attention. And it came from one person. Xanxus himself.

"Great to see you back in action, brat."

"Don't even think I'm _not _going to complain about you," said Tsuna, pouting. Something that only heightened how ridiculous she sounded complaining about the Varia, of all people. Gokudera stayed silent, barely able to comprehend what was going on.

"Can we go somewhere else?" asked Tsuna. "It's dark."

'_You are surprisingly… More than what I have been told,' _said a voice in Tsuna's head. She turned her head to the illusionist.

'_At least you know who I am.' _She replied. The Varia, getting rid of the 'first meeting experience' after so long, and getting rid of the issues they had with being together so 'peacefully' as Tsuna described, started to make their way back to their base, dragging Tsuna with them.

'_Oh yeah, I have a request,' _said Tsuna.

Mammon paused. _'It will cost you.'_ Tsuna laughed.

'_Eh. Give me a sanitary pad when we get to your base. I think I'm PMSing.'_

No comment. Either way, Mammon, or should we call her Viper now, was going to be in for a whole new rollercoaster. For the second time - not that she'd know that.

…

Guest reviews:

_**Guest (28**__**th**__** August): **_That would've been hilarious but I'm not that the best at coming up with those sorts of ideas XD

**That took an ass load of time to write. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Zaira Swift.**


	25. Chapter 25 - Utopiosphere Part 4

**There's a writing style I've been experimenting with. Memorable, sweet, short. Hope you enjoy.**

…

She had initially wished for some peace, but knowing the Varia, it was highly unlikely. After Viper had complied with her request, she had ushered the other members away, declaring them as loud and disturbing. Although she was glad to meet them all again, she wasn't quite sure what to make of their violence against Gokudera who refused to leave her alone with 'the bunch of hounds.' She was competent of taking care of herself and the Varia didn't have low morality despite what everyone assumed.

She lay back against the pillows and stretched her legs as she settled into the comfortable sheets of the bed. She had recovered from her incident with her 'parents' and honestly couldn't find the need to bother with what they thought of her. Of course, she was ignoring the bigger picture of the trauma that it caused her but she had always thought that it was because she was useless and she had to admit that he pitted some of the blame on her brother. She didn't hate him but she didn't like him. More so, she simply wished that her sibling would accept her and then she could ask why he didn't like her. It frustrated her that she wasn't even close to her own brother and couldn't understand him. It was like meeting a stranger and not knowing how to converse or approach them when required to.

Although she did originally complain about Squalo and the other Varia members picking her up and whisking her off to wherever, she was rather glad they did. If they didn't it was highly likely that Gokudera would have suffered alone. She wasn't underestimating Gokudera and how he was able to protect himself but he tended to be rash with his actions, thus being a downfall to him. As well as that, there were six Varia members and only one of him.

Scratching her head, she turned over and closed her eyes. She needed to organise her thoughts. The current issue that she should be focused on was the heeding battle that was going to occur between the Varia and her brother. She wasn't sure at first that the battle was going to happen but the fact that the Varia were already in Japan, it was already confirmed. The assassination squad had already set out early to claim whatever it was so that they could become Vongola tenth generation. Something had perturbed her when she thought of Xanxus as being Vongola Decimo. There wasn't a problem with him being in that position but it just didn't feel correct. She had no right to tell the elder male what he could be or couldn't be but she was concerned that something bad would happen to the man. Cursing her stupid intuition, she pulled the covers over her head and slept.

…

It had been confirmed that the girl was a part of the mafia. His ex-student had said so himself, and it seemed to him that he also bore some sort of relation with the girl, whether it be a simple friendship or fateful meeting. The hitman had wracked his mind for any other possible assumptions that he could make to make missing links occur and connect.

When the Varia members, Belphegor and Mammon appeared, he had noticed how eager they were. Eager to hunt down Ieyasu and his guardians. It was unexpected that their ace commander, Squalo, appeared from below the bridge that he and Fon were on, carrying human baggage. And said human baggage, was Tsuna. The girl, once again, astonished him with how many connections she had to all the people that the hitman knew. Even Fon had frowned, slightly distressed. The Varia and extra had spoken to each other and then sprinted off without making any eye contact with the two Arcobaleno. Mammon had stayed, as an illusion, simply to mock the sun and storm and then left as well.

Both Fon and Reborn were left to figure out things for themselves. Both disliked not knowing what was going on and were impatient despite the storm having a calm exterior. He was going to get an answer from someone eventually.

…

Lussuria, despite being the most questionable of the Varia, was surprisingly, the most mature in certain situations. When the silver haired teen grabbed his neck, he couldn't help but feel the chill that rattled his insides. Gokudera had said how it wasn't wise of him to call the boy called Ieyasu, the boy who competed against Xanxus for the title and power of Vongola Decimo. The martial artist had wondered why Gokudera had said that and his question was soon answered when he was pulled aside.

"You're the calmest out of the other batshit crazy people, and that's the only reason I'll tell you the following besides the fact that you will understand my intentions," started Gokudera. "Ieyasu is her brother. Which does mean that she should have a right to compete for the title of Vongola Decimo."

Lussuria remained silent, void of any obvious or specific facial expression. "Then tell me whether she wants to be Vongola Decimo or not," he said.

Gokudera looked away and shook his head. "From what I know, she isn't interested in being the Vongola Decimo. I'm more wanting to discuss something other than her being in the run for Vongola Decimo. Just… even though I don't really want Xanxus to be Vongola Decimo, don't let Ieyasu be Vongola Decimo."

"Why?" The younger male refused to answer him and was soon forced to answer him. Fortunately, Gokudera had been saved by Levi who had stormed into the room unaware of the tense atmosphere.

"Boss wants everyone to gather. Including you," said Leviathan, gesturing to Gokudera. Lussuria clicked his tongue and smiled, bringing back the usual way he acted. Gokudera stared at the elder male and internally told himself that it was right to tell the man about the situation first rather than the others. He hoped that what he said was enough of a reason to spur on the Varia to defeat Ieyasu. Although he was meant to be Ieyasu's guardian, he refused to leave the side of Tsuna. He wanted the best for her and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

…

He had received a call from someone. He didn't know who but it was a mighty good guess that it was a Varia member. When Ryohei and Yamamoto returned after being captured, they had explained how Gokudera had saved them from the Varia and were distressed at how helpless they were to be so easily caught. They were worried for the silverette's safety but his only caused Ieyasu to believe that the silverette was acting on behalf of his sister. It only mattered to him if his sister had connections with the Varia. He knew, since he eavesdropped on Dino, Reborn and Fon, that his sister did have some significant involvement with the mafia. If so, then she was probably aware of the Vongola Decimo events.

He ran a hand through his hair, unsure of what to think of it.

…

It was night time, so it was mainly quiet. Minus the shouting of the Varia who were 'overly excited about everything,' as Tsuna described it. She wanted to have a lengthy discussion with Mammon, as the only one of all the Arcobaleno she knew who, although had no recollection of her, still knew who she was with the aid of the Varia. She would have to thank the assassination squad for that.

When everyone was gathered together, it was almost heart-warmingly nice if it weren't for the fact that one person would have to argue with three other people at the same time. It was admirable that nothing had been thrown at each other yet. As she ate her dinner, casually glancing at the people seated around her, she wondered how many times that such a situation where all Varia members were gathered together on 'peaceful' terms. She smiled to herself at the fact that she had witnessed the moment. Biting into her medium rare steak, she chewed, careful not to get any meat stuck between her teeth.

After finishing her meal, she had taken her dishes away and rinsed them, then placing them into the dishwasher. The place that the Varia had been staying was some sort of hotel in which they were residing at the top floor, aka, the penthouse. It wasn't, by all means, a good 'hiding spot' but it wasn't really an issue since it was unlikely that anyone would barge into where they were staying unless they had a death wish.

Although everyone was gathered at the dinner table, eating, shouting or doing whatever, there wasn't a single proper conversation going on. It was more suited to having a one on one or small group talk unless someone was asking for a fight to occur. Most of the Varia had already finished their meal since they had big appetites to fill while Gokudera had left most of his food untouched. Tsuna asked why but received a vague answer. She was worried but figured that she could always fix up something light for him later having been familiar with his diet from the past few months.

As she spoke to Mammon, she could sense the uncertainty of the illusionist. It was a similar sensation to walking down a road like you do so, every day, but suddenly you're blindfolded. It was an uncomfortable and formidable feeling, like how friendly and familiar Tsuna was with Mammon, despite the Arcobaleno not having any recollection of the girl. Sure, Mammon was smart enough to understand what Tsuna had been pitted against yet… she quite liked the girl's company.

"I don't want to think that you're the same as to when we were back at the manor, since that's unreasonable, so we'll just have to start anew," said Tsuna.

"I've heard about the manor a few times and I still find it hard to believe that you lived with the Vindice and the other Arcobaleno," said Mammon, "so what exactly made us all stay considering how we are?" Tsuna grimaced.

"I'm not quite sure. I don't really know anymore. Best chances are depends on whether all of you remember. Of course, I'll admit that I'd prefer everyone remember but it's better for people to move on. I'm afraid that some things come to an end so it's selfish of me to think this way," said Tsuna with a small smile. "If everyone's doing well then there's no need for them to remember. That's why I said that I'd prefer to start anew."

"Understandable." The pair stared into the dark.

"It was really nice to talk to you. Did I waste your time?" asked Tsuna. The Mist Arcobaleno stared at the girl.

"No."

…

Dino had spoken to Iemitsu. He knew where the Varia were staying and he was willing to take the risk of visiting them for the sake of meeting Tsuna. When he approached the hotel building he felt the jitters start to attack his body. He was more excited than worried. Excited that he'd meet Tsuna again and worried that the Varia might try to kill him in the process. Either way, he was already there. When he somehow made it to the first floor without tripping or causing suspicion, he rang the bell. After a few rings, he was answered by a calm female voice. A voice he hadn't heard in a while. And so, being the coward he was, he left. However, it was due to his poor luck that the girl had already opened the door the moment he turned his back on it.

"Hey," she greeted. Awkwardly turning around, the Chiavarone boss ruffled his hair and laughed, embarrassed.

"H-hi." The younger teen smiled brightly, a quality of her that had charmed him the moment he first met her.

"Do you want to come in?" No more words were exchanged when the blond entered the hotel suite and shut the door behind him.

…

**To those who have read my author note in Thirst in the 13****th**** chapter, you would have already known about the rising issue of how 'abuse' has become something iffy to write about. To sum up my opinion, as long as my story/stories can evoke some interest from you then I have done my job. Whether you dislike the themes that I bring in or how some things are executed, at least blame it on me, the one who wrote it, rather than questioning the characters themselves. **

This story is old and it's not my proudest work and there were many times that I was reluctant to write it simply because I did not enjoy writing it. And, to be completely honest, I want to finish this story as it is something with an end goal. I know that when I do finish, I will look back on it and rewrite it as it is or leave it.

To give you a general overview of where this story is at right now, it's not quite near the half way mark.

I'll apologise for this chapter being short but I think it's the best I can do to ease back into writing One Leader.

Zaira Swift.

…

Guest Reviews:

**Guest – 22****nd**** October 2016:**__To answer all your reviews, I have made many mistakes in general and the story is inconsistent since I don't give enough context.__It's your own opinion on whether you enjoy this story or not, so I'll respect it. I'm also not obliged to force you to find the dialogues interesting.__No one addresses the abuse and violence the Sawadas used against a child because no one but the Sawadas know about it.

..

Previous chapter uploaded: 15th November 2016

Current chapter uploaded: 19th January 2017


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